By Andy Hutchison

DANBURY — Staples boys basketball team is back in the win column. 

Coming off a buzzer-beating upset loss at the hands of Trumbull last Friday, the Wreckers went on the road and righted the ship with a 42-34 victory over the Danbury Hatters on Monday.

Staples got the job done without Sam Clachko, its top scorer and all-around standout, because of an injury.

The Wreckers’ defense set the early tone, holding Danbury without a field goal until the second quarter. Staples jumped out to a 14-3 lead after one and held a 22-16 halftime advantage.

The Hatters made a game of it, outscoring their counterparts 12-7 in the third, closing to within a point at 29-28 heading into the fourth.

Staples pulled away behind the offensive efforts of Mason Tobias, who registered nine of his 19 points in the final period.

Adam Udell scored six, Austin Heyer dropped in four, Jack Jacob two and Drew Hill tacked on a free throw.

Staples is back home at 7 p.m. Friday to entertain St. Joseph of Trumbull. (Game schedules are subject to change; click for the latest CIAC updates.)

Staples sits in second place in the FCIAC standings, with a conference record of 10-2; Ridgefield is in first at 12-0.

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