Scheduling Note: Due to anticipated snow, a second change was made for the game times after this article was posted. Newtown is now scheduled to play Immaculate at 1 pm, following the Notre Dame-Barlow game at 11 am. Both contests will take place at Newtown High on Saturday, February, 21 as originally planned.

Newtown High School’s girls’ basketball team’s regular season came down to the final game to determine if the Nighthawks would get home court advantage in the South-West Conference Tournament quarterfinal-round game. A fierce battle between the Nighthawks and visiting Pomperaug of Southbury, on February 17, went into overtime and the Nighthawks came through with a 62-54 win.

Mali Klorczyk scored 27 points to help the Nighthawks finish 11-2 in conference play and earn the SWC’s No. 2 seed. The Nighthawks will host their tourney opener, at 7 pm on Saturday, February 21 when seventh-seeded Immaculate of Danbury visits. Pomperaug fell to 10-3 and, as the No. 4 seed, will have to begin the playoffs on the road.

Center Kelly Merrick scored 11 points. Haley Ryan had a big first half with two 3-pointers, and ended her night with nine points. Newtown overcame some early defensive pressure from Pomperaug and built a 31-22 halftime lead by dominating fast break opportunities.

Newtown led 41-32 after three quarters of play. Pomperaug led off the fourth quarter with a 6-1 run to get to within four points before Klorczyk drained two free throws. The Panthers brought it to a three-point game with 34 seconds remaining. With about ten seconds left, Pomperaug’s Lauren Rubinstein silenced the crowd with a 3-pointer that evened the score at 48 and sent the game into overtime.

Merrick was fouled early in overtime and headed to the free throw line. She drained her first shot and missed the second, but the ball was recovered by Newtown and Klorczyk made a 3-pointer from the corner to extend the lead. The Nighthawks converted free throws to put the game away; Newtown make eight of 16 foul shots overall.

“Pomperaug is one of the best teams in the state,” Newtown Coach Jeremy O’Connell said of the Panthers, who finished 16-4 overall. “It was a quality win on Senior Night.”

The Nighthawks honored senior captain Sarah Lynch who played a good game with some great passing and strong defense.

Heading into SWCs, O’Connell says the Nighthawks “will be dominant, if consistent,” adding that the team needs to improve its free throw shooting to increase its chances of success.