Sports

Youth Basketball Teams Crowned Tip-Off Tourney Champs

Published: Dec 20, 2025 6:50 am

Newtown Travel Basketball kicked off the season, participating in the Milford Knights Tip-Off Tournament that brought competition from 178 teams across four divisions over two weekends of play. Newtown had 17 teams, with six finishing in second place and two teams taking home championships.

Championship Winners:

Platinum Division — Grade 8 Boys’ Gold, coached by Pete Szklarz and Lynn Yeager.

Silver Division — Grade 5 Boys’ Blue, coached by Joe Brown.

Second Place Winners:

Platinum Division — Grade 4 Boys’ Gold, Grade 4 Girls’ Gold, Grade 7 Boys’ Gold, Grade 7 Girls’ Gold.

Silver Division — Grade 4 Boys’ Blue.

Bronze Division — Grade 6 Boys’ Blue.

Grade 8 Champs

The Newtown Grade 8 Boys’ Gold Travel team won the Milford Knights Tip-Off Tournament Platinum Division Championship. After a rough start in pool play, the boys found themselves down 24-4 in the first half to a hot-shooting Milford Knights team. They picked up the intensity on the defensive end with Kellan Kane as the leading rebounder and started moving the ball offensively and were able to cut the lead to four at the half. The second half was back and forth. The relentless effort on defense wore down the Knights, and the Nighthawks won by six. Leading scorers were Bryce Lowe with 17, Kevin Rancourt with 14, and Will Yeager with six.

The semifinal game featured a matchup against a good Westport team. It was back and forth the entire game. The Nighthawks executed down the stretch and hit key foul shots to pull out another close victory. It was a total team effort where everyone contributed on both ends of the floor. Leading scorers were Kevin Rancourt with 19, Bryce Lowe with 12, and Will Yeager with five.

In the championship game against Fairfield, scoring was at a premium for the first few minutes. Once the first basket was scored, Newtown was off and running. Once again the Nighthawk defense forced turnovers and allowed them to get out and score in transition. Offensively, the ball movement was great, which created a number of good looks. Once again it was a total team effort as Newtown cruised to victory by a score of 45-18.

Grade 5 Champs

The Grade 5 Boys’ Blue Nighthawks drew the FBA Demon Deacons and the FBA Hokies in the pool play portion of the Tip Off Classic in Milford. The Hawks split the two games, losing to the Demon Deacons 28-20 but bouncing back to beat the Hokies 26-20, setting the stage for a fantastic run to the championship.

The championship weekend started out with the Hawks facing the FBA Yellow Jackets in the semifinal game. The first half was back and forth, with both teams taking the lead multiple times, but saw the Hawks losing by two at halftime. That would be the last time the Hawks trailed in the game, going on a 18-0 run sparked by timely steals by Owen Boles and Joey Brown which turned into points, setting the tone for the rest of the game. The Hawks kept pressure on the Yellow Jackets until the final whistle, with Grey Antoinette and Owen Boles leading the team in scoring. Thomas Glovaski and Levi Garrison were beasts on the perimeter on defense, stifling the Yellow Jacket guards.

The Hawks couldn’t celebrate too long, having a small break before facing off in the championship game against the FBA Demon Deacons, setting up a chance at redemption for the Hawks from their pool play loss to the Demon Deacons the previous weekend. The game started with both teams playing tight defense, holding the game scoreless on both sides for the first six minutes. Eventually both teams found their rhythm, however, it was the Demon Deacons leading by four at half. The Hawks were able to regroup and keep the game close in the beginning of the second half, but the Demon Deacons extended the lead to six with under six minutes to play in the game. Even though the lead seemed out of reach at the time, the Hawks stuck together and played the best five minutes of basketball of the game at the end. Grey Antionette led the way, scoring six unanswered points and finding a cutting Brady Singer on a fast break, and Singer hit a jump shot to take the lead by two with one minute left. The Hawks stood tall on defense led by Joey Skura and Santi Puebla, holding the Demon Deacons to tough shots. The game was iced by two key free throws from Brady Singer on a 1-and-1 foul shot and second free throw to push the lead up to four with ten seconds left. The Hawks won 26-22. Hawks centers Billy Harrington and Paxton Rotas had their hands full on defense all game, having to guard players much larger than them but limiting their points and securing key rebounds.

The fifth grade Boys’ Blue team captured the Milford Knights Tip-Off Tourney title. Pictured are, from left, front: Thomas Glovaski, Joey Skura, Grey Antoinette, Santiago Puebla, Joey Brown, and Brady Singer; and back: Paxton Rotas, Levi Garrison, Coach Joe Brown, Owen Boles, and Billy Harrington. —photos courtesy Newtown Youth Basketball Association

The Grade 8 Boys’ Gold team won the tourney title. Pictured are, from left, front: Kellan Kane, Mikey Paloian, Reid Keil, Liam Cooney, Ryan Szklarz, Kevin Rancourt, Davis Gottschalk, and Cian Lahey; and back: Assistant Coach Lynn Yeager, Reed Sgagliardich, Will Yeager, Bryce Lowe, and Coach Pete Szklarz.

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My darling, You were the best GRANDmother a child could ask for. You created so many great memories & traditions that I have passed down to your Great grandchildren. You brought joy into every room you stepped into. Your laughter, singing, whistling and the signature Rockettes high kicks, is something I will always hold in my heart. There was something about walking into your home and being greeted by your beautiful face. *kiss on each check* followed by HELLOOOOOO Darling! The classical music playing softly in the background and your love and comfort made your home, a safe space. Somewhere, where love knew no boundaries. It was so much more than a home. I aim for the same in my home, and play the classic music 24/7, but it will never be the same. I pray I can be 1/4 of GRAND, you put in GRANDmother. You were so resilient. You found the positive in every situation. I look up to you so much. I remember begging Mom and Dad for years to change my name to “Carmen”. They didn’t officially change my name, but eventually started calling me “Carmenita” as I am a little you. THE HONOR. You were there for me, no matter the day or hour. You were always the one who would talk me through whatever hard situation I was going through. When my baby passed away, I refused to talk to anyone for 3 weeks. Except for you. You said to me “Better days are coming, babes. There’s always a rainbow after the storm”. Of course, you were right, because you are GRAND. I picture you in heaven dancing and laughing with him. Uncle Jay playing the money game with him. To know you are with your children again & with mine does bring me some joy. Twas the night before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, will never be the same. Another tradition you created. A memory that will last forever. Not just with me, but for generations to come. It may not be the same, but we won’t let it die. It will live on, in your name. To be your first GRANDchild was a blessing. I could write an entire book about you & all the amazing things about you. Even though we were robbed of time together & it makes me angry, I know I will see you again. This isn’t a goodbye, but a “see you later”. Just like we ended every phone call. Ciao, darling. I love you. MWAH MWAH! Love your GRANDchild, Kimberly aka Carmenita

Carmen Accashian

Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better... Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become. Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement. If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded: What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used? Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too? How long will data be stored, and who can access it? What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information? Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to...

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I had to hold back a laugh at the idea that 7:30 pm is apparently such a late-night hardship that we’re already talking about moving meetings earlier. For a lot of residents, 7:30 is the earliest they can realistically get to Town Hall after work, family obligations, and the rest of real life. Shifting BOS meetings to 7:00 might make the calendar look tidier for those in the building, but it makes participation harder for the people who pay for the building. If the new First Selectman’s week is already booked solid and evening meetings feel like a strain, that’s not a reason to move the goalposts on public access—it's a reminder that the job is supposed to be demanding. Public service means accommodating the public, even when it’s inconvenient.

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Real people were just in a frightening car accident. To immediately frame their misfortune as rhetorical ammunition against new housing — affordable housing included — feels less like concern for “health and safety” and more like opportunistically using a scary moment to support a pre-existing position. If we’re going to debate this proposal, we should do it honestly: with data on traffic volume, accident history, engineering recommendations, and the town’s housing needs, not by seizing on a single crash as proof that 300 apartments are inherently unsafe. Newtown deserves a thoughtful, fact-based conversation about growth, safety, and affordability — one that doesn’t turn other people’s bad day into a political talking point.

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To add context that did not occur at the meeting would not be an accurate representation of the meeting and would, in fact, be editorializing to shape public opinion. The editorial staff here do not consider ourselves to be final arbiters of what the truth is (and if we did, it would make us partisan and biased), and we would need to provide a source for any dissenting information (sourcing all information in an article is literally Journalism 101). There were no such sources present at the meeting in question, and so it would not be appropriate to include such information in an article about the meeting. Dissenting voices appear in meeting stories when there were active participants with dissenting opinions, such as during public participation or the words of a council member who disagreed. It should be noted that the Interfaith Council, like many local boards and commissions, conduct meetings that are open to the public. This was not an article on the actions of the Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, or on immigrants, or on ICE's actions in the community, where including other voices or perspectives would be appropriate. We appreciate your opinion, but we stand by our meeting coverage and consider this discussion closed.

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Youth Basketball Teams Crowned Tip-Off Tourney Champs

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