By Kim J. Harmon

A fourth-place finish at the South-West Conference championship meet … a loss in the CIAC Class LL quarterfinals … a loss in the first round of the Class II tournament.

Yes, on the surface it may not look as if Newtown High School had a particularly good week in the world of sports, but even so there was a lot to be proud of in Nighthawk land.

eThat fourth-place finish at the South by the NHS swimmers featured personal best times by everyone as well as an individual title by diver CJ Maurer.

eThat loss in the CIAC Class LL quarterfinals by the NHS girls’ basketball team closed out a third consecutive 20-win season.

eAnd that loss in the first round of the CIAC Class II tournament came in one of the few games the NHS boys’ basketball team – which still won 15 games – had its entire team in uniform.

Yes, a lot to be proud of.

It became clear weeks ago that the finish to the South-West Conference swim meet was all but etched in stone – Brookfield would finish first, Pomperaug second, New Fairfield third and Newtown fourth.

And while the Nighthawks were quite intent on changing what almost seemed to be pre-ordained (looking to somehow finish at least in third place), they nevertheless offered no complaints about how it all ended up.

Brookfield first, Pomperaug second, New Fairfield third, and Newtown fourth.

“We were shooting to beat New Fairfield,” said head coach Rory Perry. “That was our pie-in-the-sky goal, but even though that didn’t happen we’re still satisfied. Every swim was a personal best and we had a lot of kids who were on the cusp of qualifying for states.”

From Andrew Heller (fourth in the 200 individual medley) to Chris Jacob (fourth in the 100-yard freestyle), the ‘Hawks put together an impressive performance last Friday night at Foran High School in Milford.

But senior CJ Maurer put together the most impressive performance of all (last Wednesday) when he captured the SWC diving championship. Maurer scored 367 points in his 11-dive effort and was scarcely challenged by L. Thomas of New Fairfield, who came in a distant second with 317.35 points.

“It felt closer to me,” said Maurer, who will dive for the University of Connecticut next season, “but I was doing higher degrees of difficulty, so I think that’s what did it.”

Maurer was only bested once during the dual meet season, but went into the SWC competition as the odds-on favorite to win. He set a goal of 345 points and then developed a strategy to help him achieve that goal.

“I put my two hardest dives (back dive, reverse dive – each with a 1.7 DD) first to get them over with,” he said. “I haven’t been able to hit them all year.”

But he hit them well enough to scores 4s and 5s and that gave him the confidence to comfortably perform the last nine dives.

“It was the most consistent meet I’ve ever done,” said Maurer, who buried a back 11/2  for one his best dives of the year. “My coaches always say that consistency wins meets and I thought I was very consistent at the SWCs.”

But while Maurer was earning a first-place finish for the ‘Hawks at the SWCs, it was by no means the only stunning diving performance at the meet. Steve Truitt took third (just five points behind Thomas) while Bryan Lacouture was fourth (just 1.8 points behind Truitt). And finishing it off for the ‘Hawks was Lauren Borusso, who took eighth.

All in all, the divers accounted for 62 of the 265 Newtown points scored at the meet.

Now, Maurer is seeded fifth for the CIAC Class L meet and will be competing against some stiff competition – such as Tre Cassetta of Staples – in his quest for a state title. And the ‘Hawks will be sending a solid group of swimmers into the state championships this weekend, all fresh off strong performances at the SWCs.

In some of the Nighthawks’ top finishes, the 200 medley relay team (Zack Moliver, Jake Maher, Heller and Jacob) was fourth at 1:48.48; Moliver was fifth in the 200 individual medley and sixth in the 100 backstroke; Jacob was seventh in the 50 freestyle and fourth in the 100 freestyle; the 200 freestyle relay team (Maurer, Truitt, Maher and Dave LaMarche) was sixth; Maher was sixth in the 100 breaststroke; and the 400 freestyle relay team (Heller, Jacob, LaMarche and Moliver) was fourth.

“What we’re doing now is great,” said coach Perry. “The program is building. We have more kids going for school records, more kids going into states and maybe more kids heading into the State Opens. That’s where we’re heading.”

The results –

TEAM SCORES: 1. Brookfield 523, 2. Pomperaug 399, 3. New Fairfield 320, 4. Newtown 265, 5. Weston 149, 6. Bethel 134, 7. Foran 125, 8. Bunnell/Stratford 102, 9. Masuk 87, 10. New Milford 53.

Individual Events

200 medley relay – 1. Brookfield 1:43.21, 2. New Fairfield 1:48.04, 3. Pomperaug 1:48.24, 4. Newtown, 1:48.48.

200 freestyle – 1. Mike Traynor (New Fairfield) 1:48.10, 2. Jeff Goldberg (Brookfield) 1:49.82, 3. Jason Koza (Brookfield) 1:51.82, 4. Kevin Thai (Bethel) 1:54.50, 17. Dave LaMarche (Newtown) 2:05.52, 18. Scott Whalley (Newtown) 2:08.05, 21. PJ O’Dell (Newtown) 2:11.99.

200 individual medley – 1. Patrick Seeley (Brookfield) 2:05.01, 2. David Ely (Brookfield) 2:09.12, 3. Matt Noonan (Weston) 2:13.41, 4. Andrew Heller (Newtown) 2:13.56, 5. Zack Moliver (Newtown) 2:14.82, 11. Jake Maher (Newtown) 2:19.54.

50 freestyle – 1. Matt Manoni (Brookfield) 22.06, 2. Anthony Bruno (Pomperaug) 22.80, 3. Max Sackerson (Brookfield) 23.15, 4. Carl James (Brookfield) 23.33, 7. Chris Jacob (Newtown) 23.69, 15. Steve Truitt (Newtown) 24.65, 17. CJ Maurer (Newtown) 25.03, 24. Sean Reilly (Newtown) 26.46.

Diving – 1. CJ Maurer (Newtown) 367.00 points, 2. L. Thomas (New Fairfield) 317.35 points, 3. Steve Truitt (Newtown) 312.35, 4. Bryan Lacouture (Newtown) 310.55, 8. Lauren Borusso (Newtown) 248.30.

100 butterfly – 1. Patrick Seeley (Brookfield) 54.10, 2. Don Allen (New Fairfield), 3. Matt Noonan (Weston) 56.79, 4. Andrew Seigel (Weston) 57.21, 5. Andrew Heller (Newtown) 57.30. 13. Dave LaMarche (Newtown) 1:03.77, 18. Jim Morlath (Newtown) 1:06.44.

100 freestyle – 1. Matt Manoni (Brookfield) 49.71, 2. Jeff Baker (Brookfield), 3. Carl James (Brookfield), 4. Chris Jacob (Newtown) 51.99, 18. Nick Maurer 58.83.

500 freestyle – 1. Mike Traynor (New Fairfield) 4:55.79, 2. Jeff Goldberg (Brookfield), 3. Tim Krompinger (New Fairfield), 4. Jason Koza (Brookfield)

200 freestyle relay – 1. Brookfield 1:33.97, 2. Pomperaug, 3. New Fairfield, 4. Foran, 6. Newtown 1:39.95.

100 backstroke – 1. Jeff Baker (Brookfield) 57.01, 2. David Ely (Brookfield), 3. Kevin Thai (Bethel), 4. Brian Jones (Brookfield), 6. Zack Moliver (Newtown) 1:00.34.

100 breastroke – 1. Simon Rosen (Weston) 1:02.49, 2. Mike Smith (Foran), 3. Jonathan Thai (Bethel), 4. Max Sackerson (Brookfield), 6. Jake Maher (Newtown) 1:02.84.

400 freestyle relay – 1. Brookfield 3:23.56, 2. New Fairfield, 3. Pomperaug, 4. Newtown 3:34.68.

NOTE: A diving video, shot by Ken Moliver and covering meets against Brookfield, New Fairfield, Weston and Foran, will be shown on Charter CommuniTVision (Channel 21) on Tuesdays, March 23 and 30 (7 pm) and Thursdays, March 25 and April 1 (4 pm). Slow-motion technique helps viewers really see the dive.

With some five minutes gone in the opening period of its CIAC Class LL quarterfinal matchup with No. 2 Windsor, the Newtown High School girls’ basketball – with a 20-win season to its credit – was sinking fast.

The Lady Nighthawks (20-6) were down 14-4 and seemingly no match for the Lady Warriors (24-2). Unpleasant memories of a state tournament annihilation at the hands of Norwich Free Academy a few years ago may have started stirring the minds of those who were there.

The ‘Hawks rallied, though, and made a game of it.

But even though they pulled to within one point by the close of the first half, they simply did not have an answer for the Warriors’ inside presence, nor their intense defense, and in the end the ‘Hawks were saddled with a 48-35 loss.

“I knew they were a well-coached team,” said senior co-captain Kelley Haines, who finished with a game-high 14 points. “But I think if we had our head in it at the beginning of the game and at the beginning of the third quarter, it would have been a different game.”

Windsor – currently the No. 1 team in the state (according to The Hartford Courant poll) – jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the echo of the opening whistle had even faded from the gym at Coginchaug High School in Durham. Haines tried to stem the tide a little with a jumper and a drive to the basket, but the Warriors built up a 10-point lead with two minutes still to play in the opening quarter.

Ashley LaRocque (also a game-high 14 points) added a late jumper to trim the Windsor lead slightly.

Things began to change in the second quarter, though. Jacky Curran scored a bucket in the post, Haines popped in a jumper, and LaRocque canned a pair of pull up jumpers and all of a sudden the ‘Hawks were only down three. After Curran and Julie Iwanicki chipped in with free throws, the Windsor lead was just one.

A Haines basket in the paint kept the lead at one at the close of the half.

Windsor was not a strong offensive team, but had a strong inside presence that – at times – overwhelmed the ‘Hawks. The Warriors, who liked to slow things down on offense, scored nearly all of their points within six feet of the basket.

Shani Grey was the big Windsor threat; she scored a team-high 12 points.

Windsor – which lost only to Greenwich and Notre Dame of Staten Island, New York – was back in its groove at the start of the third period. An 8-2 run put the Warriors back on top by seven, 27-20. Although Katie O’Connor scored a low post basket and Haines banked in another shot, the Warriors kept up a five-point lead by the close of the period.

And pulled away from there. A 12-3 run to start the fourth put the game away. LaRocque had the only two Newtown field goals in the fourth period (the rest of the Nighthawks’ points came from the free throw line, where they shot 7-of-10).

Despite the loss, the ‘Hawks finished with their third consecutive 20-win season and will bid farewell to four seniors – Kelley Haines, Julie Iwanicki, Stephanie Logan and Tori Filler.

Easy Time With SHS

Despite a modest 54-42 win in the second round of the CIAC Class LL state tournament, Newtown dominated Southington last Thursday.

With the game tied at 2-2 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, the ‘Hawks – who appeared to be suffering none of the sluggishness displayed in a first round win over Stamford – went on a 13-0 run to take complete control of the game.

The ‘Hawks went up as much as 18 points in the second quarter, 26-8, before the Blue Knights started showing signs of life. The visitors went on an 8-1 run to close out the second period, trimming the Newtown lead to 11 points.

But it wasn’t enough.

“Our last game (Stamford) was a wakeup call for us,” said LaRocque. “Getting farther into the tournament, we realized we had to come out focused and keep our composure or we wouldn’t make it far.”

The ‘Hawks built the lead back up as much as 15 points, but Southington turned up the pressure on defense and began to whittle away at that lead. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Newtown lead had been shaved to just eight points and the locals were starting to get a little nervous.

But the ‘Hawks canned 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch to put the game away.

Haines finished with a game-high 16 points. LaRocque popped in 14 points while Logan added nine. Siobhan Cooper and O’Connor combined for nine points.

Southington       42

Newtown            54

SOUTHINGTON (42): Christine Brayfield 0 0-0 0, Michelle Moffo 0 1-2 1, Erica Fillmore 5 4-6 14, Kathy Long 3 3-5 9, Sarah Bates 0 0-0 0, Katie Moffo 3 2-4 9, Ashley Brofsky 2 3-4 9, Katie Collins 0 0-0 0, Lisa Nappi 0 0-0 0 (TOTALS: 13 13-21 42). NEWTOWN (54): Julie Iwanicki 0 4-4 4, Jacky Curran 0 0-0 0, Carly Curran 0 0-0 0, Stephanie Logan 3 3-3 9, Ciara Simek 0 0-0 0, Ashley LaRocque 5 4-6 14, Siobhan Cooper 2 1-2 5, Tori Filler 1 0-0 2, Kelley Haines 6 2-5 16, Katie O’Connor 2 0-0 4 (TOTALS: 19 14-20 54).

Three-pointers: Haines (N) 2, Brofsky (S) 2, K. Moffo (S).

Newtown            35

Windsor               48

NEWTOWN (35): Julie Iwanicki 0 1-2 1, Jacky Curran 1 1-3 3, Carly Curran 0 1-2 1, Stephanie Logan 0 0-0 0, Ashley LaRocque 6 2-2 14, Siobhan Cooper 0 0-0 0, Tori Filler 0 0-0 0, Kelley Haines 5 4-8 14, Katie O’Connor 1 0-0 2 (TOTALS: 13 9-17 35). WINDSOR (48): Suetha Ballyamanda 0 0-0 0, Paige Schneider 0 0-0 0, Lauren Dillon 1 0-0 2, Brittany Huggins 1 0-0 2, Kelli Welch 1 1-2 3, Ashley Rosemond 4 2-2 10, Shani Grey 6 0-1 12, Cierra Baker 4 3-6 11, Johnell Burts 2 4-9 8 (TOTALS: 19 10-20 48).

Three-pointers: none.

Foul shots.

So simple, yet so critical.

The Newtown High School boys’ basketball team missed 12 foul shots on Monday night – a lot of those late – and dropped a 68-63 decision to Branford in the first round of the CIAC Division II state tournament.

“We were in pretty good shape,” said head coach John Quinn, “but we just couldn’t convert down the stretch. Foul shooting and finishing has been a problem for us all year.”

The Nighthawks (seeded No. 14 in Class II) had a 35-28 lead on the Hornets at half and boosted that lead up to 10 at one point in the third period, but the Hornets ratcheted up the defensive pressure and slowly eased their way back into the game.

The ‘Hawks clung to a one-point lead, 46-45, at the close of the third.

As the Hornets turned up the pressure, the ‘Hawks stepped up to the free throw line more frequently, but the team – collectively 64.4% from the line for the season – stumbled and missed four key free throws to open the door for the Hornets.

Mike Tamsin canned 23 points to lead the Hornets.

“The kids were looking forward to this game and to continuing the season,” said coach Quinn. “It’s so frustrating to have it end this way … two games in a row.”

Yes, the circumstances were very similar in the South-West Conference semifinals against Weston. Even though the ‘Hawks built up a decent lead on the Trojans, the ‘Hawks went ice cold in the fourth period – missing three foul shots in the first minute and going 7:19 without a basket from the floor.

“Foul shooting killed us in both games,” said coach Quinn.

Senior Andrew Fiscella popped in 26 points to lead the ‘Hawks. He finished with 517 points (the second-best single-season effort in school history) and placed the current all-time scoring record at 1,475 points. Along the way in 2003-04, Fiscella set new school records for foul shots made (142) and foul shots attempted (200).

Dave Anderson, who quietly had a terrific season, added 14 points in the loss to Branford. Ronnie Shimko canned 16 points with four three-pointers (giving him 46 for the season). Josh Rouse added four points.

The ‘Hawks had been decimated by injury throughout the season, losing Marcus Tracy for more than half the year and then Devon Manfredonia, Brian Smith and Rouse for a bunch of other games. And even though they finally got everyone back by the end of the regular season, it wasn’t enough time.

“It’s nice to have everyone back,” said coach Quinn, “but it takes more than a week or two to get the team jelling. And at this point in the season, we’re playing some very good teams.”

The ‘Hawks (15-8) finished the year with 100 three-pointers.

Branford           68

Newtown          63

BRANFORD (68): Craig Kenney 3 0-0 6, Mike Tamsin 9 4-5 23, Jared Ceccilini 5 3-4 13, Rick Heally 3 2-3 9, John Marquis 0 0-0 0, Adam Paquin 0 0-0 0, Luke Owen 5 1-3 11, Brandon Lapia 0 0-0 0, Mike Miano 0 0-0 0, Ben Danker 0 0-0 0, Christian Storm 0 0-0 0 (TOTALS: 27 12-17 68). NEWTOWN (63): Devon Manfredonia 0 1-2 1, Andrew Fiscella 9 5-6 26, Ronnie Shimko 5 2-2 16, Brian Smith 0 1-3 1, Dave Anderson 5 3-4 14, Marcus Tracey 0 1-2 1, Josh Rouse 1 2-8 4 (TOTALS: 20 15-27 63).

Three-pointers: Ronnie Shimko (N) 4, Andrew Fiscella (N) 3, Dave Anderson (N), Mike Tamsin (B), Rick Heally (B).

Class II

  1. Tolland           20-0

  2. Kolbe Cathedral           18-2

  3. Sacred Heart 18-2

  4. Prince Tech    17-3

  5. Weston            17-3

  6. Torrington      17-3

  7. Avon                17-3

  8. Daniel Hand  16-4

  9. Immaculate   16-4

10. Kaynor Tech  14-4

11. Bunnell           15-5

12. Windham       15-5

13. East Haven   14-6

14. Newtown      14-6

15. Farmington   14-6

16. Woodstock Academy   13-7

17. Stratford        13-7

18. East Lyme     12-8

19. Branford         12-8

20. Ledyard          12-8

21. Bassick           10-8

22. Norwich Free 11-9

23. Sheehan         11-9

24. New Canaan 11-9

25. Hartford Public            9-11

26. Rockville        9-11

27. Ridgefield      9-11

28. Platt                8-12

29. Bristol Eastern            8-12