Coach Jeremy O'Connell's mantra is that his team's offense is predicated on its defense. That held true in Newtown High School's girls' basketball team's 48-29 win over host Masuk of Monroe, on December 18.

Newtown limited Masuk to two opening-half field goals to build a commanding 27-6 halftime lead.

The Panthers did a better job of driving and kicking out for open looks in the second half, trimming the deficit to 11 with 3:37 to play in the fourth quarter.

Newtown didn't let Masuk get any closer. Nicki DaPra drained a baseline jumper for two of her game-high 22 points, and Cailin Wilson followed with a 3-pointer as the Nighthawks pulled away.

Wilson and Amy Sapenter both scored eight points. Five Newtown players - Rylee Mulligan, Ali Kelleher, Carolina Stubbs, Jackie Matthews, and Kira Smith - all scored two points.

Sapenter led Newtown with nine rebounds, and DaPra and Smith both pulled down five.

Kelleher, Matthews, and DaPra each came away with five steals. Wilson blocked a shot.

The Nighthawks improved to 3-0.

"With a lot of different lineups," said O'Connell, whose roster is deep and versatile. "We have a lot of kids that can fill a lot of different roles.

That includes ball handling, scoring, defending, and the list goes on.

"That's what I love. That's the best part about this team right now," O'Connell said.

The Hawks held their previous two opponents to 34 and 32 points.

"If we play good D we're going to be pretty darn good."

Newtown's makeup and athleticism dictate that it must pressuring opposing teams into turnovers or bad shots, and counter to score points.

"They made open shots at the beginning and they made contested shots on broken plays late," Masuk Coach Michael Collins said.

Collins credited O'Connell for having his team well-prepared as always.

"He does a really good job of getting his kids to play really, really hard all the time," Collins said.

Masuk fell to 1-2. This game counts only in the state standings, and Newtown and Masuk will meet again in February for the game that counts in the South-West Conference standings.