Personnel dictates a team’s style of play and, this year, Newtown High School’s girls’ basketball team returns to its familiar fast-paced, run-the-floor approach to the game.

“I feel like this year we can get back to playing up-tempo, pressure basketball,” said Coach Jeremy O’Connell, whose lineups throughout the years have leaned on overall speed and athleticism, along with strong defenses to create turnovers and push the flow of the game before playing a bit more of a half-court brand of basketball last year.

As always, the coach will play to his strengths and he considers athleticism and defense to be strong points for this year’s Nighthawks.

“I think our offense will be predicated on our defense,” O’Connell added.

So far, so good for the Nighthawks, who won their first two games of the season — defeating Lauralton Hall of Milford and Nonnewaug.

Newtown lost two players — Cassie Ekstrom and Mary Joe Rossi — to graduation last year. The team’s only captain, and only senior, this go-around is Sarah Lynch.

Junior center Kelly Merrick is surrounded by juniors Mali Klorczyk, Haley Ryan, Lauren Wilcox, Katie Reilly, and Christina Moore, and sophomore Olyvia Shaw.

A year ago, the Nighthawks went 11-12 overall, including reaching the South-West Conference tournament semifinals and falling in the opening round of the Class LL state bracket. This year, O’Connell wants to see his team qualify for both tournaments and he believes the potential is there for some playoff success.

“I feel like we’re on the cusp of being very good again,” said the coach, whose team won the 2012 state championship.

The coach said a determining factor in his squad’s success will be how mentally strong the players are to overcome dry spells during the season. O’Connell expects his team to struggle at times, especially given the schedule in place.

“The SWC has always had teams that are very strong and this year will be no exception,” he anticipates.

Tough conference foes include Pomperaug of Southbury, Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport, Notre Dame-Fairfield, New Fairfield, and Joel Barlow of Redding.

Three-time SWC champion Lauralton Hall switched to the Southern Connecticut Conference this year, but O’Connell scheduled a game against Newtown’s old rivals as part of a tough nonconference slate designed to challenge and prepare the Hawks for the postseason. The Nighthawks also play Cromwell in the opener of the Threes for Charity Tournament, Friday, December 19, at 7 pm, and will have games against New Jersey’s Saddle River Day School, and a team that O’Connell believes will contend for a state title, always-tough Farmington.

“We want to be ready, battle-tested, prepared for when we get to the end of the season,” O’Connell said. “I love the dedication they give and the work ethic. It’s a fun group of kids to be a part of.”