Newtown High School's boys' basketball team defeated visiting Daniel Hand of Madison 75-55 on January 2, in what was senior captain Shea Talbot’s last high school game before getting shoulder surgery. The Nighthawks improved to 6-0.

Despite a 20-point margin of victory, the game began as a butting of heads. Riley Ward scored the first bucket of the game, initiating Newtown’s quick lead of 12-6, but that was stopped short by a Daniel Hand timeout with just under three minutes left in the first quarter. From there, Hand took the lead and was ahead 16-15 heading into the second quarter.

“In the first half, we were not locked in; eight turnovers were way too much to a zone team. They [Daniel Hand] were focused and wanted it a little more,” Newtown Coach Tim Tallcouch said. Newtown fell behind by a handful of points but battled back. With about five minutes left in the half, senior captain Robert DiSibio knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the score at 23, but Hand quickly retook the lead. Just a minute later, though, DiSibio converted an and-one off of a steal and transition bucket to again tie the score. And from there, Newtown did not look back.

Senior Tucker Garrity had two straight scores to kick off the 11-2 run Newtown had to close out the half. Heading into the third quarter, the Nighthawks were winning 39-32, and they continued to run it up. With four minutes left in this quarter, their run that started in the second quarter extended to a 17-4 run, forcing Hand to call a timeout with just under two minutes left in the third This timeout, however, did not slow Newtown’s play. DiSibio and Max Bloomquist hit consecutive 3-pointers. Newtown’s shift into high gear showed this quarter; the Hawks outscored Hand 19-6, providing them with a 58-38 lead going into the fourth. Hand was unable to make a significant push in the third, Talbot providing some solid defense alongside his teammates.

“The second half showed what we were capable of doing. We should play like that for four quarters. The fact that we want to be one of the upper echelon (South-West Conference) teams should drive us,” Tallcouch said. DiSibio and Garrity were the leaders in scoring for Newtown, DiSibio with 21 points, Garrity with 15, and Ward with 13 as well as eight assists. Bloomquist and Todd Petersen each added eight points. Preston Bliss-Martinez and Jack Petersen both had five. DiSibio made four of Newtown's eight 3-pointers.

Todd Petersen had nine rebounds and DiSibio had eight rebounds. Ward and DiSibio both had three of Newtown's 12 steals. Jack Kuligowski and Todd Petersen both had two steals.

Overall, Newtown had a strong defensive effort, led by Talbot, who left everything on the floor in his final game. With time winding down, Talbot departed and was greeted by a nice standing ovation from the crowd.

“I appreciate everything that the school, the student body, the program, all my coaches, and teammates have ever done for me. These were a fantastic four years and I know this isn’t the way that I envisioned going out but I’ll never forget the memories created,” said Talbot, who had three rebounds and an assist in his final game.

Newtown looks to take its momentum into its remaining games, most of which are against SWC rivals.