By Kim J. Harmon
By Kim J. Harmon
No one is throwing around the word DYNASTY â not yet, anyhow â but for the second time in the past three years, the Newtown High School girlsâ junior varsity basketball team has finished undefeated.
Two years ago, the Nighthawks went 17-0 and this year did themselves one (or, actually, three) better by finishing 20-0. With that record came a championship in the Masuk Jayvee Holiday Tournament back in December.
Not bad.
The junior âHawks have managed all of this under the tutelage of coach Cynthia Klebon, who has led the program to an 81-10 record in her five years on the bench. This year, she led a team that dominated virtually all 20 opponents.
Julie Iwanicki and Christine Manfredonia captained a talented team that saw four different players get varsity time.
Freshman Kelley Haines saw action in almost all of the varsity games, giving varsity head coach Gregg Simon some depth at the guard and forward positions and scoring nearly 80 points (with seven three-pointers along the way).
Iwanicki saw action in several games and scored 12 points while honing her skills for a more permanent spot on the varsity bench next year. Tori Filler and Stephanie Logan (two varsity points) also saw time in Newtownâs CIAC Class LL quarter-final win over Rockville.
The jayvees also got some exceptional contributions from players like Shannon Kohn, Trina Ramsdell, Kaitlyn Fenton, Julie Nietsch, Erin Murdoch, Monica Zigman, Caitlyn Murphy and, late in the season, Alyssa Ballard.