FAIRFIELD — Newtown High School’s girls’ basketball team knocked a deficit that was 11 late in the third quarter all the way down to three points early in the fourth. The fifth-seeded Nighthawks ultimately fell 54-40 to the host and top-seeded Notre Dame-Fairfield Lancers in a South-West Conference tournament semifinal-round clash on March 23.

As tough as it was to battle back but not get over the hump for a return to the South-West Conference championship game, Newtown Coach Jeremy O’Connell said it was the end of an era that hurt the most.

Seniors Bella Gerace and Emma Magazu, along with Shea Murphy, who sat out her final season due to injury, “have set such a great example on and off the court for four years on what it’s like to be a great human being. That’s what is the hardest part about it is that this is the last time we’re coaching them,” said O’Connell, whose team will also lose a key senior addition in transfer and center Maddie Patrick.

The seniors, along with a supporting cast of juniors and sophomores, worked together to make this a special season under some odd circumstances that included missing a trio of games during a two-week quarantine due to coronavirus protocol.

“I am so extremely proud of this group. Their selflessness of this group to do every little thing it took to be successful is amazing,” O’Connell said.

The Nighthawks did a lot to try to continue their season against what O’Connell said is easily the best team in the state. Notre Dame led 26-20 at the half and built its lead to double digits early in the third quarter.

Newtown got it down to nine points on four occasions before Gerace hit a straightaway 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the stanza; it was 38-32 Lancers heading into the fourth.

Bella Gerace canned a 3-pointer seconds into the final quarter to make it 38-35, but the Lancers answered an 8-0 run by the Nighthawks with a 7-0 surge to reestablish a double-digit lead.

Julia Gerace scored off a baseline inbound pass to make it 45-40 Lancers with 4:41 to play, but the lid seemingly closed on the rim for Newtown the rest of the way, and the Lancers sealed the win at the free throw line. In the game, the Lancers were 12 of 19 from the charity stripe and NHS was 1 for 8.

NHS was led by Julia Gerace with 14 points. Allie Bradley scored ten to go along with four rebounds. Bella Gerace and Magazu both scored seven, and Chloe O’Connell tacked on two.

Magazu had a trio of assists, O’Connell had five rebounds and three assists, and Patrick had eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.