Already having tallied its first win of the season, the third contest and second win of the campaign served as what Newtown High School girls’ basketball Coach Jeremy O’Connell hopes is an early turning point.

The second half of a 50-34 triumph over visiting Greenwich on December 18, specifically, is what the Nighthawks will look to build off. Newtown pulled away after seizing a slim 21-19 advantage at halftime.

“Very happy with today — showed a lot of growth, showed a lot of maturity tonight compared to our first two games,” O’Connell said.

“The second half was the first half we played to win and played with confidence,” O’Connell said. “We played very poorly in the first half on the offensive side and still were ahead.”

The message at halftime was for the Nighthawks to continue their defensive intensity and to come out strong on offense to put the game away.

Trailing late in the second quarter, Newtown began to find its rhythm. Chloe O’Connell’s 3-pointer gave the Nighthawks a 16-14 lead, Kristen Reisert’s steal and layup made it a four-point game, and Izzy Caron’s straightaway 3-pointer made it 21-17 with 2:03 left in the half. NHS did not score again until the third but outscored the Cardinals 13-7 in the stanza to carry a 34-24 lead into the fourth.

Allie Bradley’s midrange jumper, O’Connell’s three-point play the old fashioned way, Caron’s pull-up shot in close and putback, along with Reisert’s long-range basket helped the Hawks seize control.

“The girls stepped up when we needed them to and did a phenomenal job,” O’Connell said.

In the fourth, Newtown held Greenwich to one field goal in the first five-plus minutes of the quarter as they built on the lead. Bella Gerace canned a 3-pointer and scored eight of her ten in the final period.

Caron led Newtown with 13 points, Reisert scored 11, O’Connell had seven, Bridget McCleary five, Bradley three, and Sophia Verdi tacked on her first varsity point with a free throw.

Bradley led with nine rebounds, Caron had six rebounds, Gerace had five, and Reisert four. Caron had four steals, and O’Connell had three. Caron dished out a trio of assists.

In their first three games, Newtown has allowed under 40 points each time, including holding Darien under 20. “Can’t be upset with that,” O’Connell said.

In a 38-18 win over visiting Darien on December 16, Gerace scored 13 points, sinking four 3-pointers. Bradley and O’Connell both dropped in six, Caron had five and Reisert and McCleary both scored four.

Reisert racked up eight rebounds and Bradley collected six rebounds to go along with a trio of blocks. Caron had eight steals, O’Connell had six, and Bradley four.

O’Connell said he likes seeing the strides his Hawks are making. “We’re not content about anything but we’re really happy about the way we’re going,” the coach added.

“We’re so green this year with varsity experience,” said O’Connell, adding that the success the team has — even if not necessarily wins — will serve as building blocks for later in the year. Newtown opened the season with a 39-29 loss to Cromwell and has a tough nonconference schedule to start.

The Hawks are off until a Monday, December clash with Newington, one of the top teams in the state in Class L. That game is the first of two NHS will play in the Ridgefield Holiday Tournament in three days; tip-off is at 2 pm. The December 29 opponent is to be determined but will be either Ridgefield or John Jay of New York.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.