NHS Boys’ Basketball Beaten In SWCs—

Nighthawks Eliminated By Stratford, Focus On State Tourney

By Andy Hutchison

SOUTHBURY — In a rematch of last year’s South-West Conference championship game, the Newtown High School boys’ basketball team had its hands full against Stratford.

The seventh-seeded Nighthawks clearly needed to pull off an upset to gain revenge on the No. 2 Red Devils, who survived a scare by the Hawks in last season’s pinnacle game. Stratford was simply too much again, pulling away for a 76-55 win at Pomperaug High on February 26.

Stratford advanced to the conference semifinals and NHS began the process of preparing for the start of state tournament action.

“They’re incredibly athletic,” Newtown Coach John Quinn said of the Red Devils. “And they were really kind of hitting on all cylinders.”

Despite Stratford’s strong play — and big lead — the Nighthawks kept battling, driving to the hoop, competing on defense. “It would have been easy to pack it in, but these kids have never packed it in — never,” Quinn said.

“The young kids are going to be better for it next year when they’re juniors and seniors, and my seniors, a great group of six kids, if they bring this type of approach, they’re going to be fine,” added Quinn, referring to his final-year players applying their never-give-up attitude to college and everything they do going forward.

Josh Engler scored 13 points, Kyle Wilcox had 12, and Josh Barrett added 10 for Newtown in the Stratford game. Engler, along with Sean Maher, Brian Reed, RJ Roman, Matt Datin, and Robert Mascher, are the seniors whom the coach will miss once the season ends.

Of course, there is still the state tournament this year, and Newtown will look to rebound this coming week. Newtown is the No. 26 seed in the Class LL State Tournament, and will open tourney play at No. 7 Brien McMahon of Norwalk on Monday, March 7 at 7 pm. Following a few days off from basketball, Quinn said, the Hawks would start to prepare in the middle of this week.

“That’s the great thing about coaching these young kids,” the coach said. “They bounce back and they’ll want to be in the gym ready to go Wednesday and practice for another four, five days, have one more game — maybe two, three, four.”

“I’m really looking forward that,” Maher said. “A last run for me as a senior, and another week with the guys.”

Maher believes the Hawks can compete with any team they are matched up against, when they are sharp. “We know we’re a good team. We feel like we can play with anyone,” he said after the loss. “Today shots were going in and out and they were a little quicker than us.”

Among the younger players who got some SWC playoff experience for the first time is junior Taylor Steimle, who is also anxiously awaiting another postseason tourney.

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be hard competition again, but you can only get better playing competition that’s good,” Steimle said.