By Kim J. Harmon

Eight losses in their first eight games did not dampen the desire in the collective heart of the Newtown Middle School girls basketball team.

The Lady Lions captured its elusive first win over Whisconier more than a week ago and then went on a tear … putting together a five-game winning streak that did not end until a 51-45 defeat at the hands of Brookfield in the finals of the Jockey Hollow Tournament.

“I have told the girls lots of times this season that I do not care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game,” said first-year head coach Will Ryan. “I just want them to be able to walk off the court knowing that they tried their best.”

They tried their best against Brookfield, but a 15-point effort from Kate Bowen and an 11-point effort from Ally Modzelewski wasn’t enough because the locals – beset by injuries all season – were missing both centers and a point guard.

Brookfield opened up a 16-2 lead at the end of the first period, but by the end of the half the Lady Lions had rallied to within three. And going into the fourth, the game was all knotted up, as Kait Marsden (nine points), Nicole Elias (four points), Meghan Bridges and Hannah Basch-Gould played well.

It was a two-point game with two minutes left. But Lindsey Burns fouled out, followed by Marsden, and soon after Bridges took a hard fall under the basket, breaking two bones in her arm. Lisa Vendel and Katie Pessin came off the bench to fill in and kept great pressure on Brookfield.

But Brookfield went on a couple of fast breaks to break the game open, taking a six-point lead to end the game.

“These nine girls could not have tried any harder tonight,” said coach Ryan. “Even though we lost the finals, this was my favorite game of the season. They came in short-handed, without their leading scorer and centers, facing a team that beat us by 30 a month ago. Lots of parents, teachers, and students came to the game and proved to be a great cheering section. As I walked off the court after the game, I couldn’t help but wonder if I will ever again coach a team as hard working, dedicated, and inspiring as this one. I hope that I do, but I don’t think I will.”

Last week, the Lady Lions dismantled Woodbury, 49-30, after a slow start. Sara Kelley dropped in 12 points and Modzlewski added nine while Bowen, Burns and Marsden canned six points apiece. That proved to be a solid impetus for the tournament.

In the opening round, the Lady Lions – expecting to square off with Brookfield – faced a Jockey Hollow team that had defeated them twice during the regular season. But with Kelley canning 22 points and Marsden adding eight points and 14 rebounds, the locals pulled off an improbable 42-40 win.

Newtown nurtured the lead for most of the game, but it never extended beyond three points for the entire second half. The locals switched between a Box-and-1 and a 3-2 zone defense and used a half-court trap that Jockey Hollow had problems handling. With 17 seconds left, the locals – clinging to a three-point lead – slapped a man-to-man full court press on Jockey Hollow and forced a wild shot with two seconds to go.

Brittany Wiberg contributed six points while Bowen, Burns and Vendel combined for five more.

“This was a great win,” said coach Ryan, “especially since we had lost our first 8 games and suffered from injuries to key players this season. To win five in a row and reach the finals (of the Jockey Hollow Tournament is a real testament to the character of this team.”

The team comprised captains Kate Bowen, Ally Modzelewski, Kait Marsden and Sara Kelley; guards Meghan Bridges, Lisa Vendel and Katie Pessin; forwards Hannah Basch-Gould and Nicki Elias; and centers Lyndsey Burns, Brittany Wiberg and Carolyn Fagan.

 

Boys

Peter Young scored 10 points in the first period (finishing with 13) and powered the Newtown Middle School boys’ basketball team to a 54-37 win over Bethel last week. George Zaruba canned 18 points along the way, not missing a shot until the fourth period.

Ralph Sergiovanni and Ben Mahony played well in the middle and grabbed lots of loose balls, preventing Bethel from getting any second-chance points. The perimeter defense was controlled by Kyle Kromberg and Jeff DiNicola.

The Lions concluded the regular season last week against Woodbury and then battled in the annual Jockey Hollow Tournament.