Redding, CT — Already having won some big games this winter, Newtown High School’s boys’ basketball team had perhaps its most notable victory in a 55-39 message-sender at Joel Barlow on February 11. The Nighthawks defeated a strong team in a road gym, led throughout by answering Barlow’s runs with scoring spurts of their own, and played their best game of the season, Coach Tim Tallcouch believes. “We knew we needed to come in here and play our best game and I believe we played our best game,” Tallcouch said. Newtown improved to 12-5 overall and 7-3 in South-West Conference play. Barlow was 6-4 in SWC action, including wins over tough Stratford and Immaculate of Danbury teams that have winning marks and defeated the Nighthawks. Newtown jumped out to a 25-13 lead, went up 38-20 after three quarters, and led by as many as 20 only to see the Falcons pull to within eight points with two minutes remaining. “We came to play but we knew what was at stake. We showed toughness. That was a character win right there,” said Tallcouch, whose team is battling several conference squads for one of the top spots in the SWC playoffs, as well as looking to improve positioning for the Division II state playoffs. The Hawks held Barlow to its lowest point total of the slate. Newtown passed well to find the open man and also matched Bethel for the most points an SWC foe put up on the Falcons this winter. “We were unselfish,” Tallcouch said. “I thought our ball movement was great.” After the Falcons trimmed a 12-point halftime deficit to eight early in the third, prompting a Newtown timeout, the Nighthawks finished the stanza on a 13-3 run. Liam O’Connell’s 3-pointer from the left corner, and Charlie Sepp scored a couple of baskets in close, one off a nice dish from Makai Coleman, to increase the lead to 18. The Hawks broke Barlow’s full-court press early in the fourth and when O’Connell finished an opportunity down low to increase the lead to 42-22, the Falcons called time-out. Barlow scored the next six points but great ball movement led to a Coleman layup to keep the Falcons from getting closer for the time being and making the score 44-28 with four-plus minutes remaining. The game was physical throughout, and Barlow got into foul trouble midway through the fourth. A foul away from the basket sent Newtown to the free throw line with 3:38 left. O’Connell hit the first of a trio of clutch front end one-and-one foul shooting opportunities in the final minutes. O’Connell hit the second for a 46-31 lead before the Falcons made one last push. They went on a 7-0 run and pulled to within 46-38 before the Hawks closed out at the charity stripe. Sepp and Joe McCray both hit key front end one-and-ones. Newtown’s defense forced a backcourt violation and turnover, and Coleman sank a pair of free throws with just over a minute to go, stretching the lead back to a dozen. O’Connell hit four more freebies in the final seconds. “We withstood their runs. We put a little bit of an exclamation point on the game by the way we shot free throws,” Tallcouch said. The Hawks were 16-for-19 from the free throw line. McCray led Newtown with 16 points, Coleman had 14, and O’Connell dropped in 12. Sepp scored five and Tyson Mobley and Declan Regan each added four. Mobley had three steals and McCray had a pair of steals. Tallcouch was pleased with the effort of everybody, including Regan and Saahil Ray off the bench. Newtown defeated visiting nonconference team Torrington 59-38 two nights earlier. “Very pleased with the focus, energy, and commitment from the tip,” said Tallcouch, whose team jumped out to a 24-7 lead after one quarter of play and led 37-13 at the half. Newtown’s coach played his starters only four minutes into the third, getting the bench 12 minutes of playing time to finish the game. Coleman had 17 points and Mobley and McCray both scored 12. O’Connell scored six, and Sepp, Ben Barber, Ray and Connor Hintze combined to score 12. Sepp, Regan, and Eli Williams all grabbed four rebounds, and Coleman had two steals. The Hawks posted a 61-45 win over visiting Bunnell of Stratford on February 15. Newtown led by just five, 29-24, at the half and seized control in the third quarter. “The challenge again was to own the first five minutes of the third quarter. They did and finished the third by outscoring Bunnell 16-6,” said Tallcouch, whose team was in command up 45-30 going into the fourth. “Highlight for us was the center position, which we’ve worried about since Isaiah Williams went down earlier this season,” said Tallcouch, adding that a “three-headed monster” of Eli Williams, Sepp, and Regan produced 18 points, nine rebounds, and one block. Coleman and O’Connell both led the offense with 13 points each. Newtown carries a 13-5 overall record and 8-3 SWC mark into its last two games before the playoffs. Senior Night is Friday, February 18, when New Milford visits. Captains Isaiah Williams, O’Connell, and McCray will be recognized. The regular slate ends Tuesday, February 22, at perennial power Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport (15-2 overall and 10-1 in the SWC). Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at [email protected]. https://www.newtownbee.com/02182022/character-win-on-road-big-for-nighthawk-boys-cagers/