Brewer’s Buzzer-Beater Lifts Nighthawk Girls To Exciting 40-38 Win

By Andy Hutchison

Jen Brewer is accustomed to not being in the forefront, but rather bringing the intangibles to the court that help the Newtown High School girls’ basketball team win games.

On January 30, however, Brewer found herself in the spotlight. The senior captain hit the game-winning shot as the buzzer sounded to lift the Nighthawks to dramatic 40-38 win over the host Immaculate Mustangs in Danbury.

“It was pretty exciting,” said Brewer, adding that she looked over to the official to be sure she released the shot in time and that it counted before celebrating.

“It’s great to see a person like that get it. She does all of the little things that usually don’t make it to the paper,” NHS Coach Shawn O’Brien said.

Brewer rebounds well and the 5-foot-8 senior regularly guards the opposition’s post player, many times a few inches taller. She also helps set up Newtown’s key scorers with off-the-ball work.

“On offense I try to set good screens so people can get open off that,” she said.

Freshman Riley Wurtz spotted Brewer cutting along the baseline and hit her teammate with a pass to set up the tie-breaking shot. Brewer finished with 3 points and Wurtz had 5.

“She made a good pass.” Brewer said.

Wurtz, who like Brewer provides plenty of hustle and energy, is another key reason the Nighthawks have had success this winter.

“The intensity she has just couldn’t be taught,” O’Brien said of Wurtz.

Although the Wurtz-to-Brewer play at the end of the Immaculate game was decisive, Newtown would not have won the game without the combined 28-point effort from leading-scorer Sara Kelley and Jordyn Good (14 points apiece). The Nighthawks, with their win over Immaculate, improved to 10-4 overall and 7-2 in the South-West Conference. Immaculate dropped to a deceptive 6-8 overall (the Mustangs did beat one of the conference’s best, Masuk). Newtown has won seven of its last eight games.

“We’ve had winning ways of late,” said O’Brien, adding that pulling out a game at the end as the Hawks did on Friday only boosts the confidence level.

The Hawks were scheduled to play at New Milford on Thursday (after The Bee went to press) in a game rescheduled because of snow on Tuesday. They will host Lauralton Hall on Friday, February 6, at 7:30 pm.