Hawks Beaten By Notre Dame In SWC Tourney, Set To Begin States On The Road
FAIRFIELD — Competitive throughout the winter, Newtown High School’s boys’ basketball team had a rare lopsided defeat in the South-West Conference Tournament quarterfinals on February 19. The No. 8 Nighthawks fell behind early and lost 76-46 to top seed Notre Dame Prep, a team the Nighthawks almost upset in a five-point setback at home during the regular season.
The Lancers led 17-9 after one quarter of play. Down 11 a little past the mid-point of the second, Newtown made things interesting when Luke Stewart hit a 3-pointer, making the score 30-22. The Nighthawks had a chance to get the deficit down to a handful of points but were stopped and the Lancers used full-court press to force a turnover and add to their lead. The Hawks were down a dozen at the half, 36-24, but saw Notre Dame seize control in the third. The Lancers led 53-35 going to the fourth.
Notre Dame’s pressing defense caused turnovers that not only prevented the Nighthawks from scoring but led to points against the visitors.
“The biggest difference is we handled the pressure and we played at our pace,” said Newtown Coach Matt Murphy, comparing the regular-season and playoff outcomes with the Lancers.
It is also fair to say home court advantage is a factor. The Lancers play in a tight gym in which the stands are just inches from the sideline.
Aidan Walker scored 15 points, Drew Bradley dropped in nine, Asher Williams had six, and Stewart scored five.
“I feel like we were well-prepared. We just didn’t execute the way you need to against the No. 3 team in the state,” said Murphy, referring to 17-3 Notre Dame’s ranking in Division I, the toughest division in the state. “We know what it takes to compete at this level. We just have to get ready and focus for our next opponent.”
That counterpart is Hillhouse of New Haven in the Division II State Tournament. Newtown is the No. 29 seed among 30 bracket qualifiers and Hillhouse the No. 4 seed. NHS visits Hillhouse Monday, March 3 (game time to be announced). Notre Dame went on to capture the SWC Championship.
Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.