The Newburgh Free Academy girls’ basketball team got off to a poor start this season.

But the Goldbacks have now won three straight and are inching their way toward .500 after Thursday’s 42-36 win over the Middletown Middie Bears.

“Our defense has picked up over the last couple of weeks and we continue to play great defense,” Newburgh coach Arturo Santana said.

The Goldbacks had to rely on the defense, especially early, as they got into some foul trouble and fell behind, 12-4, in the first quarter.

“We got into foul trouble,” Santana said. “I had to play girls that don’t normally get a lot of minutes, but they played exceptionally tonight. They stepped up and helped our starters get a break. It was early enough where we could hang in there and get one basket at a time.”

They got back in the game behind Daysha Simmons and Nyah Williams.
Simmons hit a free throw with 1:42 remaining in the first and then she scored off a drive to the basket to pull Newburgh to within five points.
“We could have done better penetrating inside and passing the ball. But our defense helped us,” said Simmons, who led Newburgh with a game-high 18 points.

After Middletown’s Kymani Brown hit a free throw, Williams knocked down a 3-point basket to pull Newburgh to within 3 points after the first quarter. Williams hit another 3-pointer with 46 seconds to go in the second quarter to pull within a point and Ameesah Cotton gave Newburgh the lead with 4.8 seconds to go.

“It gave us a little bit of a lift, but we couldn’t celebrate because the game wasn’t over,” Simmons said. “We had to keep putting the effort in and keep going.”

Jayden Romero didn’t crack the scorebook for the Goldbacks (4-7) but was a force on the board grabbing about 12 rebounds.

“We just pumped up and ran over our offense and defense and we kept that good energy from the beginning to the end,” Romero said.

Middletown retook the lead on a basket by Kiki Kennedy, who scored 11 points for Middletown. Kiara Maxwell scored a team-high 14 points.

“Kiki’s great, but you also have that Kiara Maxwell who has improved dramatically over the past couple years,” Santana said.

Simmons hit a 3-pointer to give Newburgh the lead again and then Williams, who finished with 10 points converted a four-point play to give Newburgh control.

“Once we got into a rhythm, we were unstoppable,” Romero said. “We just played as a team and played basketball.”

Williams knocked down three 3-pointers in all.

“If you leave her open and you get her shots, she will make them,” Santana said. “She’s an exceptional shooter and she works hard it.”

With a three-game winning streak behind them, the Goldbacks are off until Jan. 28, a non-league contest at Minisink Valley.

“We’re going to play defense in practice and get better as a team overall,” Romero said.