Newtown High School’s girls’ basketball team began the season with a clash against old rival Lauralton Hall of Milford on December 10. The host Nighthawks led from start to finish, fended off a second-half Crusader rally, and won 41-35. Lauralton, a former South-West Conference foe of Newtown’s, is in its first season in the Southern Connecticut Conference.

The Nighthawks got ten points from Haley Ryan, eight from Mali Klorczyk, and seven apiece from Sarah Lynch and Lauren Wilcox.

The visitors erased a 23-16 second-half deficit to eventually tie the score at 28 apiece in the fourth quarter.

Newtown’s Olyvia Shaw converted a 3-point play to cap the third quarter scoring, and it was 28-24 heading to the fourth.

After the Crusaders tied the game, Newtown found itself clinging to a 30-29 lead with a little more than five minutes to play. The Nighthawks inched away with seven unanswered points to put the game out of reach.

After a Klorczyk free throw made it 31-29, Wilcox intercepted a pass under the Lauralton basket and scored for a four-point lead with 3:25 left. Klorczyk made a nifty spin move to get to the basket to give the Nighthawks a 35-29 advantage with a little over three minutes to go. Klorczyk sank a pair of free throws with 1:59 left, and the Nighthawks led 37-29.

Both teams struggled from the free throw line in a contest loaded with fouls and turnovers. Newtown shot 15-for-29 from the charity stripe, and the Crusaders were 9-for-16 from the line.

The Nighthawks forced 22 turnovers, half of which came on steals, and the Crusaders forced 14 with seven of those via steals.

Shaw had seven rebounds, and Lynch, Wilcox, and Klorczyk all pulled down six rebounds. Lynch had three assists for the Nighthawks.

Lauralton, the defending Class LL state champion, may have graduated four starters from a year ago, but this was a very big win in the eyes of Newtown Coach Jeremy O’Connell, whose team lost a pair of starters from last season. After all, the Crusaders always a strong team and this year’s version gave the Hawks all they could handle.

“Anytime you can beat Lauralton Hall, it’s a step in the right direction. They’re a class program,” O’Connell said. “They’re an upper-echelon program.”

O’Connell was pleased that his team withstood Lauralton’s ability to come back in the second half.

“I’m very proud that the kids didn’t fold from there,” said O’Connell, adding that his team came up with a big rebound, basket, or turnover to prevent the Crusaders from claiming the lead.

Read more about the Nighthawks and all of Newtown’s winter sports teams in a special winter sports season outlook section in the December 19 print edition of The Bee.