By Steve Bigham

One week after its season abruptly came to an end, the Newtown High School boys’ basketball is finally coming to terms with what may be remembered as one of the most unique (and somewhat quirky) seasons in school history.

At times, it could be said that this Newtown team was one of the better squads to come along in a while. It was certainly one of the most balanced, not to mention chock full of down-to-earth, nice guys. They could erupt on you with a massive scoring run or shut you down with tough defense, all the while keeping their emotions subdued. Wins were met with modesty and losses met with good sportsmanship.

It could be said, however, that this talented group may not have garnered the attention it so deserved, especially down-the-stretch. And a great season ended somewhat disappointingly.

The Nighthawks’ season officially ended on March 7 with a 64-62 loss to Windsor in the first round of the CIAC Class LL state tournament. In what coach John Quinn called a “real downer” of a loss, Newtown dropped the game in the final moments after grabbing the lead with just over 90 seconds to go.

The loss put Newtown at 15-8 for the season and meant that seniors John Fiscella, Torrance Lamb, Andrew Smith and Jeff Wolcott had played their final games in a Newtown uniform. They walk away from a season that saw the Nighthawks begin 0-4 before rattling off 15 wins over their next 17 games. That winning streak (not to mention Newtown’s appearance in the South-West Conference semi finals) will no doubt be remembered more than the team’s final two losses, which both ended in serious heartbreak.

In addition to the Windsor loss, the Nighthawks also were left to wonder what-if after losing to Immaculate in the SWC semis. Newtown had split its two previous meetings with the Mustangs, but simply came out cold (and stayed that way) during the biggest matchup of all.

Just three days earlier, the Nighthawks wowed their fans with an incredible second-half performance against Bunnell in the SWC quarterfinals. The victory was the highlight of Quinn’s three years as head coach and Newtown appeared to be playing some of its best basketball of the season at just the right time.

With the CIAC state tournament still ahead, Newtown kept its head high and began to prepare for one final run. With guys like Fiscella, Dittmar, Walker and Smith, those who followed this team knew Newtown could play right with any other team in the state. Newtown earned the 12th seed in the LL tournament and was slated to host Windsor (11-9), the 19th seed March 6.

But then the snow fell and Newtown had to wait until two days later to play the game. Windsor plays in the tough Central Connecticut Conference and boasted one of the state’s better players in John Zito, so Quinn knew his kids were in for a tight game.

And tight it was. After Windsor jumped out to an early 24-15 lead, the Nighthawks – switching to a tight man-to-man defense – answered with a 15-3 run to take a 30-27 lead at halftime. Newtown made its run despite a poor turnout of fans. It should be noted that Windsor, which is located north of Hartford, had a large, boisterous crowd on hand. They also brought along their cheerleaders, who, along with the Windsor fans, made it seem like a road game for Newtown.

With just under two minutes to go in the game, John Fiscella’s three-pointer gave Newtown a 56-55 advantage, but Windsor finished the game on a 9-6 run to pull out the win. Zito was the culprit down the stretch, scoring twice on the inside to give his team the lead for good. A couple of questionable calls by the officials may have also played a part.

Mark DeFeo hit two late buckets for Newtown, but it would not be enough.

And just like that, the season was over.

“It was a real, real downer. It was a tough way to end a very good season. Up until the very end I thought we were going to pull that game out,” Quinn said. “We’re all going through withdrawals. We’ve been practicing everyday since November 27th and I thoroughly enjoyed this year. It’s real tough to have it be over.”

Ryan Walker led the way with 16 points while Fiscella ended up with 14.

The Nighthawks will celebrate a fine season at a banquet at the Fireside Inn next Thursday night.