By Andy Hutchison

TRUMBULL–Staples boys basketball pulled away to defeat host St. Joseph of Trumbull 84-55 on Tuesday. With the win, the Wreckers improve to 18-0 overall and 13-0 in FCIAC play.

The Wreckers led just 18-16 after one quarter of play and pulled ahead 41-31 at the half before putting the game out of reach with a 27-point third-quarter scoring outburst. The Wreckers carried a commanding 68-46 lead into the fourth and continued to tack on.

Four Wreckers finished in double figures. Mason Tobias scored 16 points, had four assists, nine rebounds, a block and a pair of steals. Sam Clachko logged a triple-double with 15 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Dhilan Lowman scored 15 points.

Matty Corrigan and Jack Jacob both had 13 points and Henry Veissid logged six points and five rebounds.

Staples visits Westhill of Stamford Friday at 7 p.m. and returns home Monday to close out the regular season with a Senior Night clash with Ridgefield at 7 p.m. 

Then it is on to the postseason. 

The Wreckers, looking to wrap up the top seed Friday, will host a quarterfinal round game regardless, on Wednesday (time and opponent to be determined). The semifinals will be Saturday, February 28 at neutral site Wilton High (time / opponent to be determined) and the championship game is set for Wednesday, March 4, at Fairfield University beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Andy Hutchison

^{_{Andy Hutchison has been covering school sports — including Staples athletics — as well as news and feature stories, since the 1990s. He is the sports editor at the Newtown Bee. He writes for the Monroe Sun. He was director of communications and radio color commentator for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (now Islanders) hockey team. He has won numerous writing awards, including regional and national first-place honors.}}