NHS Girls’ Basketball—

Double-Edged Sword — Injuries, Easy Win Give O’Brien Look At Future

By Andy Hutchison

The Newtown High School girls’ basketball team rolled through the middle of this week riding a five-game winning streak and carrying an 8-3 overall record (5-1 in the South-West Conference) into Friday’s home tilt with Masuk. The Nighthawks have already qualified for state tournament play and, while they are focused on the task at hand (trying to win each game), they also have good reason to look ahead.

In their most recent win, a 53-18 victory over 3-8 Stratford at home on Tuesday night, all of the Nighthawks on the roster who are healthy saw playing time. Recent injuries to senior captain Nora Lynn Shimko and freshman Arianna Papaj left a couple of significant voids to be filled and the blowout score meant lots of extra playing time for new-to-varsity players.

Shimko broke her wrist off the court when she slipped on ice and Papaj sustained a break during recent game action. Head Coach Shawn O’Brien said both players could be out for the remainder of the year.

“It’s disappointing because it’s my senior year,” Shimko said. “I definitely think the younger kids will step up.”

They had a chance in the Stratford game. Sara Kelley had 11 points, Katie Bowen had 10, and Riley Wurtz added 7 as part of starting lineup that got plenty of rest time, allowing the less-experienced players a chance to get a taste of varsity play. Off the bench, seven players who are accustomed to varsity play in practice got to experience the real thing.

Emily Leidlein, Marilyn LcCroce, Taylor Benson, Carly Iwanicki, Jess Lynch, Abby Doski, and Alyssa Finkenstadt — the latter four of whom are freshmen — all contributed in the win.

Lynch had 8 points, Doski 4, LaCroce 3, and Iwanicki and Finkenstadt 2 apiece in the triumph.

“It’s fun. It feels good to play,” Finkenstadt said.

“I love it — I’m so excited to play varsity,” Doski added. She said the younger players do feel the nerves at first but those quickly subside. “Once I get out on the court I don’t feel it,” she said.

O’Brien said the loss of Shimko, who had already been battling a back injury but was beginning to hit her best stride of the campaign, will hurt in a big way. Papaj, meanwhile, was a go-to player off the bench. In their absence, O’Brien was particularly impressed with how Bowen and Lynch stepped up.

Getting a chance to see his underclassmen in a game situation, and them having the opportunity to experience it, is important, O’Brien recognizes. “It’s going to be really important. It’s going to help us down the line,” he said.

“It’s nice for them to get some varsity experience because they’re the ones who are going to be playing for years to come,” senior captain Jordyn Good added.

The Nighthawks have feasted on some of the weaker teams in the SWC, but they have also come up with some impressive wins, including the one in which they handed New Fairfield its first defeat. Some tough tests, beginning with Friday’s clash against 9-2 Masuk, are just around the corner.