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Nighthawk Girls Earn Hard-Fought Win Over Wildcats

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Newtown High School’s girls’ basketball team battled past visiting Bethel 43-39, on January 16, for consecutive win number four. The Nighthawks improved to 8-2 overall and 4-0 in South-West Conference play; the Wildcats slipped to 4-7.

It was a physical-at-times, defensive-minded contest. The Nighthawks, ahead 19-17 at halftime, and 28-27 after three quarters, finally pulled away in the waning minutes. Bethel had just one second-half lead, at 23-22, but hung close until the finish.

Mali Klorczyk sank a 3-pointer, despite being fouled, to snap a 24-24 tie, only to see the Wildcats even the score before Klorczyk hit one free throw for a lead the Nighthawks managed to maintain the rest of the way.

In the fourth, the Nighthawks put together a 7-2 run to break open a 30-28 nail-biter for a seven-point advantage. Lauren Wilcox hit one of two free throws, Klorczyk finished a fast break, despite a foul and made it 33-28 with 6:09 to play. She missed the free throw but Wilcox forced a held ball and Newtown had the possession arrow in its favor and cashed in. Klorczyk took an inbound pass under the basket and scored to extend the lead to 35-28. Sarah Lynch answered a pair of Bethel free throws to reclaim Newtown’s seven-point lead with 5:16 to go.

The Wildcats used a 7-1 run to close to within 38-37 with 2:10 left. The Hawks struggled from the free throw line – making just 7 of 19 attempts in the fourth quarter alone, and 12 of 35 in the game – but hit enough freebees down the stretch to fend off the Wildcats.

Klorczyk led all scorers with 18 points, Wilcox had seven, Kelly Merrick scored six, and Haley Ryan and Lynch both dropped in five. Klorczyk pulled down seven rebounds and added three assists, three steals, and two blocks. Lynch racked up seven assists, and Merrick and Wilcox compiled eight and six rebounds, respectively.

At one point, Merrick and Klorczyk had to be treated for apparently minor injuries; Merrick for a cut and Klorczyk for a sore elbow after a hard fall during a foul.

Also on January 16, the NHS boys' cagers rolled to a 72-49 victory at Bethel for their sixth straight triumph. The boys return home to take on Notre Dame-Fairfield on January 20 in a 7 pm contest.

Read more about the girls' game and the team’s January 17 and 20 visits to Farmington and Notre Dame-Fairfield, along with the boys' team, in the January 23 print edition of The Bee.

Haley Ryan (No. 3) and Mali Klorczyk (No. 0) battle for a loose ball during Newtown's 43-39 win over visiting Bethel on January 16.
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