Boys’ Basketball—

Nighthawks’ Comeback Falls Short Against Top Seed

By Andy Hutchison

WINDSOR — Down 13 points entering the fourth quarter, on the road … oh, by the way against No. 1 Windsor, which went undefeated this year … it wasn’t looking too good for the No. 16 Newtown High School boys’ basketball team in last Friday’s Class LL State Tournament second round game.

The Nighthawks, however, scratched and clawed their way to within three points before finally falling 57-51. The loss was tough to swallow for an underdog team that was smaller and not as fast as Windsor, yet put itself in position to pull off a big upset thanks to its sticktoitiveness.

Newtown had four shots rim out in the final minute and a half of the game, NHS Head Coach John Quinn noted.

“We were right there with the best team in the state,” Quinn said. “I’m so proud of them.”

The Nighthawks forced turnovers, got to loose balls and seemed to get the home team rattled. Down the stretch, Windsor’s fast-paced game slowed down and a back court violation was called against the Warriors, who managed just six fourth-quarter points.

Newtown senior Kevin Troy had 20 points, including several long-range jumpers, to led the comeback effort. Troy drove to the hoop and scored a late basket that was waived off on a charge. Quinn argued with the officials and the Nighthawks felt snake bitten. Earlier in the game, Windsor had a similar play go its way. Newtown senior PJ Cochrane, who has a propensity to plant his feet and draw offensive charges, appeared to do just that, but was whistled for a foul instead. Windsor’s Justin Wilson ended up with a three-point play.

The three points waived off on Troy’s basket and the three that Windsor got on the Cochrane foul call add up to the difference in the game. Quinn, though, said he thought the game was well-officiated and pointed out that the players determined the outcome.

Troy’s deep shooting ability opened some space for him to drive to the basket and the senior’s lay-up got the Nighthawks to within 54-51 with just 2:03 remaining.  After trailing by as many as 15 points in the third (and it would have been more if not for consecutive missed slam dunks by Windsor players) there was suddenly a sense the Hawks could get this improbable win, something Quinn never doubted.

“This is the smartest, toughest team I’ve had in 12 years. I knew we’d get back in it,” the coach said.

But Troy and the Hawks finally cooled off in the final minute-plus. The shots stopped going in.

“A couple of shots didn’t fall. That’s all that was in the way of us playing St Joseph [in the quarterfinals] on Monday,” Cochrane said.

“We had such a good chance to pull such a great upset,” senior Mike Maher added. “We were in it with less than a minute to go.”

The Nighthawks (16-7) were outplayed early on but hung tough and showed the resiliency they’ve displayed all year, to make things interesting against the Warriors.

The Warriors had three players who stood between 6-foot-4 and 6-6 and Newtown’s tallest was listed at 6-2. The Warriors were more athletic a team than the Hawks had seen, Quinn said. Windsor pressured Newtown with a full-court press that forced turnovers and a transition game that was just too fast.

“The pressure was intense,” senior Jason Smith said.

“We were prepared for it,” said Quinn, adding that his players scouted Windsor in its previous state tourney game. “We knew what we were up against.”

It was still too much in the early going. Windsor’s press led to six points seemingly in the blink of an eye in the second quarter. Newtown had better positioning in the second half and got to more rebounds, which aided the comeback.

Dan Smith had 11 points, Maher had 9, Cochrane added 5, Jason Smith had four, and junior Connor Collier scored a pair for the Nighthawks.

“We came in here with nothing to lose. We gave it all — played with a lot of heart,” Jason Smith said.

“We’re trying to hold our heads up. They are the best team in the state,” Dan Smith added. “We really played with a lot of heart.”

Quinn was happy with the season as a whole. The Nighthawks lost only one game by a double digit margin.

“Every game — we had an opportunity to win,” Quinn said. “What else could a coach ask for?”