Sara Kelley scored 17 points while Stephanie Suhoza and Carolyn Fagan put together a sparkling defensive effort, but the Newtown Lady Hawks dropped a 38-34 decision to Darien in the championship of the Ridgefield 6th-Grade Girls Basketball Tournament.

While Kelley was canning her points and Kate Bowen was dropping in 5-of-6 from the foul line, Suhoza and Fagan teamed up to stifle Darien’s top player and hold her scoreless. Jennifer Dailey chipped in with four points while Susan Mason and Kaitlin Marsden combined for 22 rebounds.

Kristen Tanner added a pair of assists for the Hawks, who concluded the 2003-04 season at 18-11.

The Hawks reached the championship game with a 27-22 come-from-behind overtime win over West Haven. Down by six with three minutes to go, Marsden hit a huge basket while Ally Modzelewski hit a pair of free throws to send the game into an extra session. Kelley was 5-of-8 from the line and combined with Marsden for 17 points. Fagan was strong off the glass.

The Hawks also defeated Redding, 24-23, as Kelley canned 11 points and Mason and Bowen added five apiece. Nicole Elias was strong off the boards as Suhoza and Tanner played well defensively. In a 28-21 win over Ridgefield, Elias was 3-of-4 from the line and scored five point to lead the way. Kelley added 10 points while Modzelewski and Marsden contributed four apiece. Dailey and Fagan rebounded well.

Meanwhile the boys’ fifth-grade travel team opened play in the 15th annual Sal Tinari Tournament in East Haven with two wins and a loss. The locals will continue play this weekend in the double elimination tournament.

In a 47-19 win over North Branford, Robert Frangione popped in 12 points and led Newtown to the win. Josh Engler had eight points as he and RJ Roman dominated the boards. Sean Maher had six points and Ishan Tatke handed out four assists. Andrew Oravecz led the defense with three steals. But in a 46-22 loss to Shelton, Danny White led the way offensively with seven points. Roman had three assists and Robert Carroll added four points.

In a 36-24 win over Branford, Carroll led the way with 12 points, six rebounds and five steals. Lewis Thompson scored four points and continually broke Branford’s press in the fourth quarter. Engler had eight rebounds and five steals in a solid performance. Frangione added five points and two assists and Max Nacewicz had five rebounds and two blocked shots to key the defense.

In a non-tournament game, the locals defeated Ridgefield, 38-35, as Engler scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and made five steals. Nacewicz controlled the boards with 10 rebounds and added eight points. Thompson keyed the defense with three steals and Ishan Tatake added six points and three assists. White also played well defensively.