By Gabriella Gerig 

WESTPORT – With the end of the regular season looming, every Staples girls basketball game assumes magnified significance. 

Five teams ⁠— Staples, Stamford, Norwalk, Trumbull and Fairfield Warde ⁠— are battling for the final two spots in the upcoming championship tournament.

Staples knew it would have a tough battle against St Joseph’s last night. St. Joes is currently the number one seed in the FCIAC with an undefeated FCIAC record. 

The Wreckers kept the game competitive through the first quarter. A clutch basket by senior captain Jen Westphal in the last five seconds narrowed the Cadet edge to four points, 10-6. However, St. Joes expanded on their lead in the second quarter by using their height advantage to get several easy buckets in the paint. By the end of the first half, they led by 20-10. 

Halftime adjustments by Staples were short-lived when Westphal earned her third foul and was forced to go to the bench. Freshman Nora Fuld was able to replace Westphal admirably with a quick basket and several blocked shots. However, St. Joe’s senior guard Kate Rudini was able to spur a run towards the end of the quarter. The Cadets limited the Wreckers to four points in the third and ended the quarter up 34-14.

St. Joes continued to roll in the fourth quarter with effective passing and a balanced scoring attack.  Although senior captain McKenzie Didio led the Wreckers with 10 points, the final score was 45-20 in favor of the Cadets.

Staples will travel to Norwalk at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday for their last regular season game.