Boys’ Basketball Team Falls In State Tourney—

Strong First Half Not Enough For Nighthawks

By Andy Hutchison

NORWALK — Like David and Goliath — in more ways than one — the Newtown High School boys’ basketball team was both undersized and a tournament seedings underdog to host Brien McMahon of Norwalk in the first round Class LL State Tournament clash on March 7. The No. 26 Nighthawks put up quite a fight, but ultimately fell to the No. 7 Senators 64-45.

Newtown, overcame the size disadvantage and an early 10-0 deficit to take a 12-10 lead and, ultimately a 27-22 halftime advantage. The Senators, however, outscored the Nighthawks 24-4 in the second quarter to grab control and advance into the second round.

“They outsized us and were quicker than us at every position,” said Newtown Coach John Quinn, whose team carried a 10-11 record, compared to McMahon’s 17-4 mark, into the game.

McMahon’s roster includes 6-foot-10 Al Azulphar, who was dominant in the opening minutes before the Nighthawks used their quickness in an effort to wear him down. It worked — for the short term — as the Hawks started controlling the flow. Josh Engler repeatedly sank baseline jumpers to stake Newtown to the halftime lead.

“It was a thing of beauty,” Quinn said of his team’s first half efforts. “It was one of the best halves we’ve played all year.”

In the second half, the Senators thwarted Newtown’s upset bid by making stops on defense and hitting shots at the other end of the court. “They’re so athletic and, to their credit, they did a good job guarding us on the ball,” Quinn said.

Azulphar led all scorers with 23 points, TJ McCrae had 12, and CJ Langley had 10 for the Senators. Engler was the only Nighthawk in double figures with a 21-point effort. Matt Datin dropped in eight, Kyle Wilcox had seven, Sean Maher five, and Josh Barrett four.

Despite seeing the game turn in the third quarter, the Nighthawks kept plugging away in the fourth, and showed the kind of hustle Quinn points out has been a given with this group all season.

“Our kids, which was their trademark all year, played as hard as they could to try to get the win,” the coach said.

Quinn said he will miss the six seniors — Engler, Maher, Datin, Brian Reed, RJ Roman, and Rob Mascher. “These kids did a great job for us. We’re going to miss them,” he said.