Girls’ Basketball—

Newtown Uses 14-0 Run To Beat Bethel

By Steve Bigham

The NHS girls’ basketball team is on a two-game win streak after beating Bethel 58-46 at home Tuesday night.

Trailing by a point at halftime, the Nighthawks opened the third quarter on a 14-0 run to turn the game around. Senior Morgan Knees scored the first eight points of the spurt on her way to an 18-point performance. The win improved Newtown’s record to 2-3 in the Southwest Conference (SWC) and 4-7 overall. Bethel fell to 2-10.

The Nighthawks knocked off New Fairfield 58-47 at home last Friday, finally shaking off the Rebels in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Sara Kelley scored eight points in the final quarter, including 6-for-6 from the foul line to seal the win.

“Bethel and New Fairfield were two games that we needed to win if we want to get to eight wins to qualify for the state tournament,” Coach Shawn O’Brien noted. “It’s still an uphill climb, but we’re going to take it one game at a time.”

Newtown has had its share of tough losses so far this season, including a heartbreaking overtime loss to Joel Barlow. It was a game it needed in its quest to reach the eight-team SWC playoffs, as was a frustrating loss to Bunnell earlier in the season. Now, Newtown looks to build on its two-game run as it travels to New Milford on Friday and then goes to Masuk in Monroe next Tuesday.

Newtown 58, Bethel 46

A switch from man-to-man to a zone defense appeared to be the trick for the Nighthawks who used a 39-19 run over a 14-minute span to turn a five-point deficit into a 15-point lead. Newtown outscored Bethel 20-5 in the third quarter.

“We were chasing them around too much in the man-to-man. The zone defense really changed things for us,” O’Brien said. “At halftime, we also talked about the importance of setting the tone to start the third quarter.”

And set the tone they did. Knees dominated the start of the third quarter with eight straight points, four of them coming on assists from junior Nora Lynn Shimko, who also had two rebounds and a steal during this important run. Katie Condon, Jordyn Good, and Sarah Kelley also scored baskets as part of the 14-0 explosion. Ally Modzelewski made a sweet pass to Jen Brewer for the score moments later and Good then made three consecutive free throws to put the game out of reach heading into the fourth quarter.

Kelley finished with 11 points, Katie Power scored nine, Condon added eight and Good had seven.

Quinn Austermann led Bethel with 16 points.

Knees actually scored ten points in a row at one point, including a basket at the end of the second quarter and eight more to start the third.

Newtown 58, New Fairfield 47

The Nighthawks led for much of the game, but were unable to shake the Rebels…until the fourth quarter when it outscored the visitors, 16-11. Kelley finished with 14 points, Knees scored 16, and Condon chipped in 10.