Seeded eighth and enthusiastic about the accomplishment of qualifying for the South-West Conference tournament, Newtown High School's boys' basketball team went into its February 23 quarterfinal-round visit to the buzzsaw known as top-seeded and unbeaten Notre Dame-Fairfield seeking to improve on its regular-season effort against the Lancers and to stay sharp as the state playoffs draw nearer, most likely with a loss being inevitable.

The two-time defending SWC champion Lancers pulled away for an 80-57 triumph.

Notre Dame had beaten Newtown 91-58 during its 20-0 regular campaign as it made a habit out of scoring 80-plus points.

"I knew coming in that we had to do something different," Newtown Coach Tim Tallcouch said.

The Nighthawks, rather than get into their usual uptempo style, delayed and jumped out to an early lead. The Lancers went ahead 14-8 after one quarter of play. Down 28-17 late in the first half, Newtown had possession and a chance to get the lead back to single digits, before Notre Dame's pressuring, turnover-causing defense helped the hosts double up the Nighthawks 34-17 at the half.

Newtown put 40 points on the board in the second half, during which it was only outscored by just six points. Granted, Notre Dame had a sizable lead already intact, but Tallcouch was pleased with his team's effort and the fact it managed to trim the final differential in comparison to the first meeting.

Tallcouch credited the Lancers for making quick adjustments and being a strong all-around group.

"They're a tremendous shooting team. They hit shots five steps out of the 3-point line," Tallcouch said. "They do a heck of a job. They force you to make mistakes because they do come with that aggressiveness and passion."

The Lancers nailed nine 3-pointers in all, and did plenty of damage at the rim - whether it was with a rebound or basket in transition.

Todd Petersen led Newtown with 19 points, Robert DiSibio scored 14, and Nick Weiland added 12. DiSibio and Ryan Escoda each sank a pair of 3-pointers. The Nighthawks didn't get to the free throw line much, but were accurate when they had the opportunity, going 7-for-8 from the line.

Newtown can take some positives from the outcome given the caliber of the opponent. Newtown will compete in the upcoming Division II state tournament, heading in as the No. 21 ranked team with an overall record of 11-9, and the Lancers are ranked second in Division I.

"We need games like this in order for us to grow as a program," Tallcouch said.

The Nighthawks will visit No. 12 Ledyard (13-7) in the first round of D-II play on Tuesday, March 6, beginning at 7 pm; the winner visits No. 5 Pomperaug of Southbury (15-5) in the second round, on Thursday, March 8, also at 7 pm. Times are subject to change; visit casciac.org for complete bracket information and updates.