It was a tale of two halves.

The Newtown boys seventh-grade travel team trailed Easton 31-9 at the half, but put on a tremendous second-half rally to nearly pulled out the win. The locals scored 46 points after the break, with John Grimaldi and David Bray combining for 19 to lead the way.

Here are the rest of the youth basketball results:

Boys 8th –

Southbury 64, Newtown 54 – A tremendous defensive effort in the second half by Southbury secured the victory. Greg Rodden scored 11 points and Kevin Troy scored 10 points to lead Newtown. Jason Smith and Mike Maher combined for 13 points.

Newtown 64, Trumbull 30 – Motivated by a tough loss the day before, everyone on the team scored at least five points and played well defensively. Dylan Clark played a fine overall game, scoring 14 points. Greg Larnerd scored nine points and PJ Cochrane added eight points. Dan Smith played a strong game at the point.

Girls 7th –

Ridgefield 41, Newtown 32 – Newtown played an excellent game to finish their season, but lost to the league leaders from Ridgefield. Newtown played a tough zone defense and handled Ridgefield’s press well to keep the game close all four quarters. The team had very balanced scoring with Nora Lynn Shimko and Jenna Legros both scoring eight points and Jordyn Good chipping in six. Rachele Cox and Lindsay Laub played good defense underneath and Mary Bloshuk chipped in with two points and two steals.

Boys 7th –

Newtown 58, St. Mary’s CYO 23 – Newtown used a stifling defense and balanced scoring attack to jump out to a 22-point lead and never looked back. Newtown held St. Mary’s to one point in the first quarter, and no points in the fourth quarter. All nine Newtown players scored on the day with Rick Gallucci and Connor Collier combining for 22 points to lead the way. Cole Depuy, John Grimaldi, and Dan Quinn added eight points apiece.

Easton 62, Newtown 55 – Newtown stormed back from a 22-point halftime deficit to score 46 points in the second half, but fell short. John Grimaldi and David Bray combined for 19 points to lead all Newtown scorers. Connor Collier and Cole Depuy chipped in eight points apiece while Keith McGrath, Dan Quinn, Kurt Nacewicz, and Ricky Gallucci added another five points apiece. Ian Cooper played well.

Girls 6th –

Redding 38, Newtown 31 – Newtown played well, but fell to a strong Redding team. Sara Kelley scored 11 points while Kaitlin Marsden, Jennifer Dailey and Kate Bowen each added six. Kristen Tanner and Stephanie Suhoza played well defensively for Newtown while Susan Mason and Carolyn Fagan were strong off the boards.

Newtown 36, New Canaan 27 – Kaitlin Marsden registered her first double-double as she scored a game high 13 points and ripped down 15 rebounds to lead Newtown past New Canaan. Newtown received a strong floor game from Kate Bowen who dished off five assists and was 6-of-8 from the line. Sara Kelley and Ally Modzelewski combined for 12 points while Jennifer Daily chipped in three. Nicole Elias ripped down eight rebounds and added in a bucket to aid the cause for Newtown.

Girls 5th –

St. Mary’s of Ridgefield 33, Newtown 21 – The Nighthawks were down 15-2 at the end of the first quarter but played even with St. Mary’s for the last three quarters. Andrea Nazer led all scorers with 13 points and Ali Pliszka added six. Lauren Meyer and Cady Jackman had solid all around games.

Darien 11, Newtown 10 – The Nighthawks locked up in a defensive battle with division-leading Darien. It was a great defensive team effort led by Maggie Donohue with 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. Mara Scallon, Alex Grant and Caroline Lawrence gave solid all-around efforts. Ali Pliszka led all scorers with points while Cady Jackman added two.

Newtown 29, North Salem 28 (OT) – The Nighthawks had the middle school gym rocking with an overtime thriller in their regular season finale. The Nighthawks were trailing after each of the first three quarters, but rallied in the fourth and – on a key basket by Meghan Loose – forced overtime. Andrea Nazer’s overtime basket proved to be the winner and she led all scorers with 14 points and combined with Maggie Donohue to dominate inside with 14 rebounds. Ali Pliszka had her best game of the year running the offense at point, committing only one turnover while scoring seven points and making four steals. Lauren Meyer, Maggie Donohue and KellyAnne Brophy also scored.

Boys 5th –

Wilton 32, Newtown 31 – RJ Roman scored seven points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Newtown fell to Wilton. Max Nacewicz also pulled down 10 rebounds. Rob Carroll had a solid game with six points and seven rebounds. Lewis Thompson and Danny White combined for seven steals and 10 rebounds. Newtown will open their playoffs this weekend against Wilton on Saturday.

Danbury 61, Newtown 35 – Newtown just could not match Danbury’s size and quickness in a losing cause. Sean Maher led the way with nine points as Josh Engler and Ishaan Tatake each added eight points.

Greenwich 61, Newtown 46 – Greenwich ran out to a 10-point lead and Newtown could not get any closer. Max Nacewicz led all scorers with 10 points. Sean Maher added seven points and led all rebounders with 10 boards. Josh Engler had eight points and Andrew Oravecz had four steals in a good defensive effort.

Darien 36, Newtown 22 – Newtown lost to Darien in a physical game. Robert Frangione led Newtown with several steals and scored eight points. Robert Carroll added four points and was a big presence on the boards. Ishaan Tatake had a good floor game in the losing effort.

Junior Boys –

Bullets 27, Knicks 21 – Conor Martin scored 11 points and Kenton Lord grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Bullets to the win. Steve Oberstadt dished off six assists and Joe Cappiello made seven steals. For the Knicks, Alex Stevens canned nine points and Alex Magoulas added five. Christian Stiemle and Matt Hill played well.

Yellow Submarines 37, Rockets 34 – Jonathan Zigman scored eight points while Jacob Burg and Jamey Goodwick tossed in seven apiece to lead the Subs to the narrow win. Jimmy O’Brien played well. For the Rockets, Collin Babbage poured in 17 points as Mickey Fay (six assists), RJ Swift (six rebounds) and Sean Ryan played well.

Lakers 50, 76ers 41 – Matt Mascolo popped in 16 points and Ryan Boucher added 10 to lift the Lakers to victory. Chris Marks dished off eight assists and Ethan Johnson grabbed nine rebounds. For the Sixers, Kyle Wagner canned 15 points while Joey Scarpelli and Walter Murphy added six apiece. Ed White was solid on defense.

Timberwolves 40, Sonics 37 (OT) – Dan Giorno (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Ryan Wilson (14 points, 12 rebounds) turned in double-doubles to lead the T-Wolves to the win. Mike Iorfino hit a pair of free throws to seal the win in overtime. For the Sonics, Tyler Tarantino canned 17 points while Will Mahony grabbed 12 rebounds. Chris Page made six steals.

Nitro 41, Spurs 28 – Zach Varga scored 12 points and Kyle DiNicola added 10 to lead the Nitro past the Spurs. Matt Brede and Adam Cantor combined for 11 rebounds. For the Spurs, Jason Kostecki popped in 16 points as Zach Gordon grabbed seven rebounds and TJ Faeth played well.

Jazz 61, Kings 53 – Dan Lawrence and Brendan Martin scored 16 points apiece as the Jazz out-gunned the Kings. Andrew Meisel made six steals and Tyler McDonald grabbed six rebounds. For the Kings, David Manville poured in 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the way. Chris Salvatore scored 12 points while Rob O’Donnell dished off four assists.

Junior Girls –

Blue Devils 28, Nightmare 25 – Lauren Clark scored 12 points and Claire Ober grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Blue Devils over the Nightmare in first round playoff action. Megan Hansen had three assists and Marina Virgalla came up with four steals. Caroline Kraich and Betsy Vendel scored six points each for the Nightmare while Taylor Ansbro grabbed eight rebounds, blocked three shots, and had five steals. Kristene Collins and Tyler Brindley had fine all around games.

Rockets 18, Bulldogs 5 – Emily Weber, Belle Hydock, Erin Nemeth, and Ashley Rothaker all scored four points to lead the Rockets over the Bulldogs. Diana Curcuruto and Rachel Marlin led the strong defensive effort and Olivia Dillon and Rachele Fossum had great all around games. Joanna Barry and Colleen Murphy had good all around games for the Bulldogs with Katherine Donahue and Courtney Gleason playing well on defense.

Lightning 26, Huskies 22 – Jen O’Connell scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds with Meagan Kelly adding seven points and five assists to lead the Lightning over the Huskies. Katie Power and Becky Trosan had solid defensive games and Ines Hutchinson and Ashley Soucar were strong off the boards. Kristen Gucciardo scored eight points and Nicole Bensinger added four to lead the Huskies. Jen Spanedda had three assists, Jen Durelli grabbed five rebounds, and Ashley Davis and Bryony Langdon played well on defense.

Intermediate Boys –

Sonics 27, Lakers 21 – Tory Deakin scored nine points as Ben Mahony (five assists) and Tim Zimmerman (four steals) played well to lead the Sonics to the win. For the Lakers, Shane Wurtz scored nine points and blocked two shots while Ryan Korth had six points and six rebounds. Michael Shevlin (four steals) and John Wlasuk (11 rebounds) both played well.

Wildcats 27, Celtics 25 – Matt Baier scored 10 points and Ben Miller grabbed 10 rebounds to lift the Wildcats past the Celtics. Dylan Berger hit a key free throw in the final seconds to ice the win. Michael Herring and Leo Spinelli also played well. For the Celtics, Brad Biscoe, Rich Andreotta and Ryan Pasko combined for 12 points. Dana Hansen and Colby Summerlin played well on defense.

Gators 48, Grizzlies 19 – Dan Clement scored 15 points and Nicholas Nazer added 10 more to lead the Gators to the easy win. For the Grizzlies, Spencer Williams scored five points while Ryan Daly, Jeff Brown and Danny Sclafani played well.

Knicks 30, Huskies 25 – CJ Portolese and Trevor Todd canned 12 points apiece as the Knicks slipped past the Huskies. Brandon Blawie, Dan O’Connor and Grant Braun had solid floor games. For the Huskies, Chris Caulfield popped in 12 points.

Intermediate Girls –

Suns 25, Liberty 19 – Katie Pessin canned 10 points while Tara Benson, Victoria Picerno and Amanda Swift played well to lead the Suns to the win. For the Liberty, Lyndsay Burns canned seven points and Meghan Schick grabbed nine rebounds. Meghan Bridges canned six points and Emma Fiore had a fine floor games.

Gaels 18, Huskies 16 – Meredith LaPerch popped in 12 points as the Gaels nipped the Huskies. Jamie Keating and Michelle Rahtelli played strong defensive games. For the Huskies, Ellen Ritzinger canned 10 points while Scarlett O’Sullivan, Nicole Gindraux and Marilyn Lacroce had fine floor games.

Bulls 24, Shamrocks 14 – Meagan Wilson scored 10 points to lead the Bulls to the win. Michelle Davis and Katie Holroyd played well. For the Shamrocks, Lisa Vendel popped in nine points. Megan Gibbons, Annie Fletcher and Katie Lago played well.

Liberty 27, Comets 10 – Lyndsay Burns scored eight points and Jessica Buyer grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Liberty to the win. Jillian Thompson and Katherine Scott had solid performances. For the Comets, Hannah Deflumeri, Christian Errico, Emma Kingsley and Aria Brownell played well.

Suns 22, Comets 18 – Hannah Basch-Gould scored 11 points to lead the Suns to the win. Lauren Powers and Victoria Picerno played well. For the Comets, Samantha Lockhart canned 10 points as Shannon Paproski, Hannah Deflumeri and Margaret Kearney had nice floor games.

Huskies 28, Suns 18 – Brittany Wiberg popped in 12 points as the Huskies ran past the Suns. Jillian Jagoe and Ellen Ritzinger played well. For the Suns, Katie Pessin had six points while Katie McMorran had three assists and Tara Benson had two steals.

Liberty 33, Bulls 27 – Meghan Bridges and Morgan Schick scored 10 points apiece to lead the Liberty to the win. Christina Naldini grabbed six rebounds while Brady Eggleston and Emma Fiore played well. For the Bulls, Meaghan Wilson canned seven points as Michelle Davis, Jessica Fossum and Brittany Bauch played well.

Midget Girls –

Celtics versus Knicks – Claire Miles, Stephanie Clavette and Nicole Rothenhucker led the Celtics as Lauren Sarna, Kristinia Engler, Samantha Stiemle and Morgan Hopper power the Knicks.

Mustangs versus Hoopsters – Meredith Bridges, Alyssa Finkenstady, Emily Cannavo and Megan O’Connell anchored the Mustangs as Claire Maurer played well for the Hoopsters.

Dalmatians versus Huskies – Erin Bell, Caroline Kingsley, Mikaela McGuire, Allison Blume and Meghan Condon had solid performances for the Dalmatians as Erin Kenning, Kendall Svanda, Natalie Galante and Amy Martin powered the Huskies.