Date: Fri 06-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KIMH

Quick Words:

Girls-Basketball-Wins-Masuk

Full Text:

GIRLS' BASKETBALL - Newtown Defeats Masuk

B Y K IM J. H ARMON

MONROE - It happened.

It finally happened.

For the last nine years, the Newtown High School girls' basketball program has

enjoyed its highest level of prosperity in the last 50 years since the dawn of

basketball time when coach Ann Anderson led a team that was unrivalled 'round

these parts.

In the last nine years, there have been trips to Western Connecticut

Conference semi-finals and finals and one trip right to the CIAC state

tournament semi-finals.

And in the last nine years, the Newtown High School girls' basketball program

has seen its finest players come and go - like Lynn Lattanzio, Katie Lyddy,

Liz Glaser, Erica Hanson, Sarah Wasko, Micaela Hurley, Melissa Eigen and

Alison Giannini.

But one thing - other than a championship - has eluded Newtown in all that

time.

One thing.

A victory over Masuk.

But it is elusive no longer. On Friday, January 30, the Lady Nighthawks

conquered its mightiest opponent, Masuk, in a triple-overtime cliff-hanger,

76-72.

"We have had a lot of big wins in the past," said coach Gregg Simon, "but I

have never been around anything like that."

The ghosts of nine years are gone - finally.

And now it can be examined. The similarity between this happenstance and that

which occurred back on February 21, 1989 is almost astounding. Heading into

the Western Connecticut Conference semi-finals as the fourth seed, Newtown

remembered all too well that Masuk, the No. 1 seed, had beaten it by 29 and 20

points during the regular season.

But coach Owen Gallagher had a plan, a plan to slow down the powerful Masuk

offense, and all it did was help Newtown SHOCK the Pantherettes, 35-32, and

gave it a shot at the league championship.

Similarities.

Back in December of 1997, the Lady Nighthawks were crushed by Masuk, 56-35, in

the first round of the Masuk Holiday Tournament and it stood to reason that

times would be just as tough when the two met on Friday, January 30.

But as any of the - or even the coach - will say, this is a totally different

team.

"All I can see is us playing better and better," said coach Simon. "The

dynamics of the team changed ever since Amanda (Marsilio) has started. This is

a team that is built better than the team was built at the beginning of the

season."

The Lady Nighthawks went through the first half of the year 3-7 and have since

torn off five wins in a row.

Masuk being one of them - the biggest one.

"I was really confident coming into this game," said senior guard Nikki

Streegan, "because we have been playing really well since the Joel Barlow

game. I thought the important thing was that we treated it like any other

game."

Any other game that turns into an epic thriller. It was tied 24-24 at the

half, but Newtown fell behind by seven, 34-27, after a tough third period. Yet

the offense came back, exploding for 23 points in the fourth quarter and

knotting the score at 50-50.

Then the war really started.

And the Lady Nighthawks never gave up.

"We huddled," said Streegan, "and told each other we would not lose."

It was Streegan who hit a jump shot at the buzzer to send the game into double

overtime.

And it was Streegan who nearly won it at the buzzer in the second overtime,

having been fouled after her shot clanged off the iron. But even though the

baseline referee called the foul, the other referee waved it off and sent the

game into triple overtime. But Streegan scored the first four points in that

final overtime, the only four points the 'Hawks would really need.

"The difference between this game and the first game," said Heather Gunn, who

scored 17 points, "is that we are much more of a team. We have come together

so much. We went into the game confident. We had to. And we wanted it."

Krista Bell was another hero, scoring 21 points and tying a school record with

five three-point baskets - two of those coming in overtime.

"I realized it was my last time playing them and I had to do it," said Bell,

who hit her first two treys of the season just three nights before. "I had to

get the team fired up."

Carissa Rotas canned a pair of important free throws with 25 seconds left in

the first overtime and echoed many of the same sentiments.

"I knew it would be tough," she said, "but if we came out to the best of our

ability, we could win. We had just come off so many good wins. We had really

been coming together and we knew that it was the night we had to do it.

"We would have stayed for 10 overtimes," she added, "if we had to."

It was five years ago that Melissa Eigen gave Newtown its best shot to defeat

Masuk, but a last-second layup in regulation did not fall and Newtown went on

to lose in overtime. Now her sister Shana has at least given her sister some

link to the historic win.

"After that third quarter," she said, "I was upset. I thought we would lose.

But in the fourth we became so much more intense and I knew it would happen

then."

There were heroes everywhere. Everyone had a chance to do something to bring

this one home. The 'Hawks got 10 points and 14 rebounds from the freshman,

Amanda Marsilio, and some excellent spot defense by sophomore forward Katie

Ryan.

It all came together.

But the season can't end there, on that note.

"We have to keep working just as hard," said Bell. "We have a lot more goals

to accomplish."