By Andy Hutchison

WESTPORT — Both the Staples girls and boys basketball teams suffered defeat at the hands of the Trumbull Eagles on Friday night. 

The girls lost 57-50 at home and the boys were edged 46-45 on the road.

With their loss, the Staples girls join the Eagles as one of four teams with 7-4 records in FCIAC play tied for fifth place and currently holding each of the bottom four of the eight tourney playoff spots. 

Each has a chance to overtake No. 4 St. Joseph of Trumbull for the last home seed in the opening round with four regular season games to play. Greenwich, Ridgefield and Fairfield Warde are in a tie for first each at 10-1.

The girls trailed 27-23 at the half, but poured in 20 third-quarter points to seize a 43-42 edge going into the fourth before the Eagles took control.

Marley Belzer finished with 13 points, four rebounds, one assist and a block. Chloe Smith had 12 points, four rebounds and a steal. 

Freya Harvey netted 11 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.

Ella Harrington scored five points, six assists and a pair of steals. Addie Talbott registered four points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Emma Asiel added five points.

Boys suffer second FCIAC loss

The Staples boys lost for only the second time in FCIAC play this winter and Trumbull improved to 6-5 in conference action.

Matty Corrigan and Charlie Bowman each had 13 points in Friday’s narrow setback. Trumbull trailed by a point heading into the fourth.

Staples stands at 9-2 along with Fairfield Warde, and is in second place via the tiebreaker having beaten Warde. Ridgefield is in first at 11-0. Trumbull is in a four-way tie for fifth and jockeying for one of the eight conference playoff spots.

Both Staples teams play Danbury on Monday. Originally scheduled for Tuesday night the game were bumped up a day due to the potential for more snow next week. The girls will be home and the boys on the road — both at 7 p.m. (Game schedules are subject to change; click for the latest CIAC updates.)

Andy Hutchison has been covering school sports — including Staples athletics — as well as news and feature stories in Fairfield County, since the 1990s.