Newtown High School’s girls’ basketball team saw its solid season come to an end in the Class LL State Tournament’s second round. The No. 10 Nighthawks, coming off a 45-38 win over No. 23 East Hartford in the first round, fell 44-27 at No. 7 Newington on February 29.

“Tough way to go out after playing so well vs East Hartford. We just couldn’t get any offensive rhythm after the first couple of minutes and we struggled to get stops defensively,” Newtown Coach Jeremy O’Connell said.

The Nighthawks posted a regular-season record of 16-4 and earned the No. 5 seed in the South-West Conference Tournament. NHS lost to No. 4 Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport in the SWC quarterfinals. Several players in the lineup stand to return with great experiences under their belts.

“I feel that the younger kids know what needs to happen in order for us to take the next steps in both tournaments,” O’Connell said. “I am pleased with the season. Unfortunately people look at only the tournaments but that is just a small portion of the entire season.”

A trio of players — Izzy Caron, Bridget McCleary, and Sofia Verdi — will graduate and leave big shoes to fill.

“The three seniors will be greatly missed. I have so much respect for their time and dedication to the program — they made us better in every facet,” Newtown’s coach said.