Staples’ Cody Sale and Gavin Rothenberg defend against a Danbury player during action in the FCIAC tournament game Friday night in Wilton. / Photos by Andy Hutchison
The Wreckers’ Charlie Honig, photo at left, sets up a shot, and at right, Chris Zajac and Sam Clachko surround a Hatter during Friday’s 69-53 tourney loss.

By Andy Hutchison

WILTON — The Staples High boys basketball team’s FCIAC Tournament run came to an end Friday in a hard-fought 69-53 loss to the Danbury Hatters in the championship game.

The No. 4 Wreckers, who lost to No. 3 Danbury in the regular season, jumped to an early lead and led 18-14 after one quarter of play at neutral site, Wilton High School.

Danbury shut out the Wreckers in the second quarter, but was limited to seven points in the defensive-minded stanza and only led by three, 21-18, at the half.

Staples’ Adam Udell outpaces a Danbury player in tournament play Friday night.

With 20 points in the third quarter, the Hatters led 41-36, and Danbury pulled away in the fourth. Danbury’s Christian Jeffers scored 24 points for the winners.

Cody Sale scored 13, Chris Zajac had 12 and Gavin Rothenberg logged eight for the Wreckers. Zajac and Sale were both named to the All Tournament Team.

Holding the runner-up trophy after the game, Staples Coach David Goldshore talked about how proud he was of his team’s effort.

“That’s something they should be incredibly proud of,” Goldshore said of the Wreckers reaching the FCIAC’s pinnacle game. “They didn’t quit ’til the end and they didn’t quit all year — that’s a great testament to them.”

Goldshore liked the start the Wreckers got. Rothenberg and Sale both nailed 3-pointers in the opening quarter and the offense was looking sharp until Danbury’s defense buckled down in the second.

“I was confident going into tonight. We were well-prepared and I think we got off to a great start,” Goldshore said.

Staples previously won the FCIAC championship in the 1962-63 season, back when there was no tournament and the team with the best record claimed the crown.

The Wreckers aim to bounce back in the Division II State Tournament. Staples, ranked No. 7 in that tourney, will host No. 26 Manchester in the first round at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 7.

“That’s the goal. All of us have to find some internal fortitude here,” Goldshore said.

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

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