By Kim J. Harmon

Making some noise early.

The Newtown Middle School basketball program may be opening some eyes around the region as its boys team has opened the new campaign with four consecutive wins and its girls team has opened with three wins in four tries.

Head coaches Tom DeBenedetto (boys) and Bill Girard (girls) have quite a few weapons at their disposal this year. Oh yeah, there are players with the monikers of DeVellis, Grimaldi, Shimko and Good who have made the Lions and Lady Lions teams to be reckoned with in ’04-‘05.

Read on –

LION BOYS

Newtown 63, Bethel 42

Newtown 51, Bethel 44

Newtown 57, Rochambeau 50

Newtown 58, Wooster 16

A 4-0 start might seem like a pretty solid accomplishment – but when a team is equipped with the kind of weapons the Newtown Middle School boys’ basketball team is then maybe a 4-0 start is just par for the course.

“This team may not be big in size,” said head coach Tom DeBenedetto, “but it is huge in speed and athleticism. These guys may not tower over other teams, but make no mistake: they are all athletes with engines that never quit.”

The Lions opened the 2004-05 season with a 58-16 win over Wooster and then reeled off wins over Rochambeau (57-50), Bethel (51-44) and Bethel again (63-42). In the midst of this four-game winning streak, coach DeBenedetto had a chance to use all the weapons on the team.

Perhaps the best weapons on the team are the two captains – Jake DeVellis and John Grimaldi.

For DeVellis, it comes down to outstanding speed and ball handling ability with a nice move off the dribble nd some great court awareness. For Grimaldi, it comes down to solid leadership, a strong presence in the paint, and the ability to get up the court in transition.

“Each player can run the court and play tenacious defense,” said coach DeBenedetto. “The potential can be high with a team of this character.”

Down low, coach DeBenedetto will be looking to big men Jason Kostecki, David Bray and Joe Cappiello. While Kostecki had a knack for coming up with the loose balls, Bray is a big, strong presence and adept at blocking shots while Cappiello provides depth and solid rebounding skills. And at the power forward, Ricky Gallucci will give Grimaldi a breather while displaying a lot of hustle and effort while rebounding and setting screens.

At the small forward, coach DeBenedetto likes the looks of Connor Collier, Cole Depuy and Keith McGrath. While Collier can find the weak spot in the defense and exploit it with his sharpshooting ability, Depuy is quick off the dribble, able to crash the boards, and is versatile enough to play almost anywhere on the floor. McGrath, meanwhile, is strong around the basket and a nice asset on defense.

In the backcourt, Kurt Nacewicz and Ian Cooper will share time at the shooting guard. Both are strong at running the break with Cooper displaying great court awareness, a soft touch, and nice passing skills and Nacewicz showcasing a defensive aggressiveness and a smooth shot.

Sharing time at the point will be AJ Ritchie, who will hustle during his time on the court and be an important part of the press defense.

All those weapons came together on Tuesday for a convincing win over Bethel.

DeVellis scored 17 points and Grimaldi added 10 more as the locals defeated Bethel, 63-42. Nacewicz and Collier chipped in with six points apiece as 11 different players got into the scoring column. Gallucci, Cooper and Cappiello contributed four points apiece.

Newtown jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first period and by the end of the period had a 15-6 lead. DeVellis had six points in the first eight minutes and a key assist. Meanwhile, Grimaldi had four points – the locals’ first four of the game.

While Bethel got as close as five points in the second period, the locals quickly pulled away with a 21-point, third-quarter effort. Besides two remarkable assists, DeVellis had nine points in the quarter – including a three-pointer at the buzzer.

A visit to Bethel last Thursday provided a much closer game as DeVellis canned 10 points and Nacewicz added nine to lead Newtown to a 51-44 win. Grimaldi and Gallucci combined for 12 rebounds, four blocks and five steals. Collier and Cooper drained long three-pointers to keep Bethel at bay.

In a 57-50 win over Rochambeau, DeVellis poured in 22 points and Grimaldi added 15 more to lead the way. The locals allowed a 20-point lead to whittle down into a one-possession game, but the defense – led by Nacewicz, Depuy and Bray – stiffened. Nacewicz and Depuy combined for nine steals while Bray dragged down nine rebounds.

In the 58-16 season-opening win over Wooster, Gallucci had 12 points and DeVellis had 10. Nacewicz and McGrath anchored the defense and combined for 12 steals and six rebounds. Cappiello and Grimaldi combined for 17 rebounds.

NOTE: Ed White, Rob O’Donnell and Trevor Todd serve as team managers, practicing with the team and providing depth at key positions.

LION GIRLS

Bethel 47, Newtown 40

Newtown 53, Bethel 34

Newtown 41, Rochambeau 23

Newtown 39, Wooster 18

It was about time the Newtown Middle School girls’ basketball team was challenged.

After opening the 2004-05 season with three easy wins, the Lady Lions ran into an aggressive Bethel team on Tuesday and suffered their first loss.

But it has become obvious the Lady Lions are blessed with an amazing amalgamation of athleticism and pure basketball skills.

The Lady Lions opened with a 39-18 win over Wooster and followed up with wins over Rochambeau (41-23), Bethel (53-34) before losing to Bethel.

It begins with co-captains Nora Lynn Shimko and Jordyn Good. Both girls have tremendous basketball sense and can play anywhere on the floor and Shimko adds great speed and shooting ability to her repertoire.

But there are plenty of other weapons on this team, as well.

Head coach Bill Girard will look to such players as Jenna Legros (good shooter, very athletic with great speed), Rachel Taback (strong rebounder, nice shot at the four or five), Jen Brewer (strong rebounder with a good shot), Adelle Cerreta (nice outside shot at the two guard), Rachele Cox (strong defender, aggressive with good speed), Linda Magliocco (at the point or the two guard, works well with both hands with a soft shot and good passing skills), Kelley Sullivan (good speed, strong on the boards), Betsy Vendel (great hustle, good team spirit, solid defense at the point or two guard), Lindsay Laub (strong basic skills, shows great hustle and attitude), Emily Kluga (strong, aggressive player), Makena Cunningham (a manager, has good attitude, hustle and basic skills) and Erin Fish (another manager, shows good hustle and a nice outside shot).

In the 39-18 season-opening win over Wooster, Sullivan, Shimko and Magliocco led the offense while Sullivan, Taback and Good were strong off the glass. Kluga, Cox, Taback, Cerretta, Laub, Brewer, Fish, Vendel and Cunningham all scored.

In the 41-23 win over Rochambeau, Shimko canned 18 points while Cox, Vendel, Magliocco and Legros added four points apiece. Taback ripped down 15 rebounds while Sullivan, Good and Shimko combined for 22 more.

In the first win over Bethel, Legros – who scored Newtown’s first eight points – finished with 12 points and five rebounds while Shimko finished with 10 points. Magliocco and Cerreta chipped in with eight points apiece while Taback had five points and 13 rebounds. Then Good added five points while Sullivan grabbed six rebounds.

And in the loss to Bethel on Tuesday afternoon, Legros scored 15 points and Magliocco added 11. Good and Brewer combined for 15 points while Taback was strong off the glass.