Wilton, CT — Newtown High School’s boys’ basketball team had its solid season come to an end in a 57-49 loss at Wilton in the Division II State Tournament’s second round, on March 10. The No. 13 Nighthawks saw the No. 4 Warriors turn a 21-17 halftime lead into a 34-21 advantage before the Hawks cut the deficit all the way down to seven in the span of 1:40 late in the third quarter. Makai Coleman’s basket and foul shot for a 3-point play made it 38-31 Warriors with 43 seconds left in the third quarter. Wilton went up 41-31 with a free throw and basket off a foul shot miss just before the buzzer at the end of the stanza. The Warriors twice in the third quarter capitalized on offensive rebounds off missed foul shots for 3-point trips down the court. Wilton had three consecutive 3-point possessions of sorts in the third with a 3-point play the old-fashioned way, a basket from beyond the arc, and one of those make and miss trips to the free throw line followed by an offensive rebound and basket. Early in the fourth, Newtown twice got to within seven on Joe McCray hoops — one being a 3-pointer — and got an 11-point deficit down to six as Coleman and McCray hit 3-pointers as part of a 7-2 run to make the score 49-43 with 3:39 remaining. Saahil Ray finished the fast break with a layup to make it 53-47 with 1:15 left. Coleman hit a pair of free throws with 1:10 to go, making it 54-49, but Newtown couldn’t get any closer. Coleman finished with 22 points, including a 9-for-10 performance from the free throw line; McCray dropped in a dozen points; Tyson Mobley scored six; Liam O’Connell had three; and Eli Williams and Declan Regan both scored two. Read more in the March 18 print edition of The Bee. Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at [email protected]. https://www.newtownbee.com/03102022/boys-cagers-compete-until-finish-but-fall-to-warriors/