Newtown High School's girls' basketball team extended its winning streak to four games with a pair of victories this past week, then dropped a close one at South-West Conference rival Joel Barlow of Redding, to carry a 7-4 overall record into a busy stretch of three home games in five days.

The Nighthawks beat host Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport 44-34 on January 12, then visited Ridgewood, N.J., for the continuation of the Threes For Sandy Hook fundraising efforts, and pulled out a 41-36 victory two days later. Newtown, which had held each of their four opponents during the streak in the 20s or 30s, fell 46-41 to Barlow, on January 17.

Newtown Coach Jeremy O'Connell was pleased with the way his young team handled Kolbe's physicality. Rylee Mulligan led the way with 13 points, Nicki DaPra scored 11, and Olyvia Shaw added seven for the Nighthawks.

In their next game, the Hawks were paced by 14 points apiece from Mulligan and DaPra, and eight points from Cailin Wilson.

"Just a hugely emotional weekend. It was great," O'Connell said.

The Nighthawks trailed Barlow 26-16 heading to the fourth quarter, and dropped in 25 points in the fourth quarter alone, but saw the Falcons pile up 20 final-stanza markers of their own.

Trailing by eight points with a little more than two minutes to play, the Hawks got to within 38-33 on a DaPra 3-pointer. Mulligan's shot from beyond the arc answered a Barlow bucket, making it 40-36 with 1:38 left, but the Nighthawks got no closer.

Mulligan scored 17 points, a baker's dozen of which came in the final quarter, and Shaw and Smith had eight and seven points, respectively.

Shaw pulled down ten rebounds to go along with five steals, and Jackie Matthews had seven rebounds.

"Both teams played hard on defense," said Barlow Coach Joe Carollo, who tipped his hat to the Nighthawks for battling back late in the game. "They don't quit."

O'Connell, however, said he wanted to see a better effort from his team going forward.

The Nighthawks will host Immaculate of Danbury on Friday, January 20, beginning at 7 pm, and have a quick turnaround when former SWC foe Lauralton Hall comes to Newtown the next day, for a 2 pm tip. Reunion week continues when O'Connell faces the team he once coached, the Bunnell Bulldogs, on Tuesday, January 24. Bunnell visits for a 7 pm start.