By Andy Hutchison

WESTPORT — The Staples High girls basketball team defeated visiting Masuk of Monroe 40-31 Friday night. 

Staples, in the process, got its first win of the season and also marked new Coach Tommy Sparks’s first victory with the Wreckers. The team is now 1-3 in the new season.

“It feels great. I think the girls really needed that,” said Sparks, adding that the players have a lot of talent and just need to continue to build confidence.

The Wreckers exhibited potential in each of their first three contests, against North Haven, Bethel and Sheehan of Wallingford, before finding their groove against Masuk.

“Today we put it together for four quarters,” said Sparks, noting that there were many contributions from throughout the lineup, including off the bench.

Defense — all around, team D to be specific — was paramount in the outcome.

Staples held a 21-16 lead at halftime and pulled away in the third quarter, limiting Masuk to a single field goal in the quarter until the final minute of the stanza.

A 3-pointer by Samantha Selig pushed the lead to double digits and Freya Harvey followed with a rare 4-point play, connecting on a 3-pointer and hitting a free throw after being fouled on the play, for a commanding 30-16 advantage.

A 3-point play by Addison Talbott helped Staples pull in front by as many as 14 and it was 35-23 going to the fourth.

Masuk was held without a fourth-quarter point until the final two minutes as the Wreckers made things challenging for the Panther shooters.

“We really preach that in practice — diving in and executing our defensive schemes,” Sparks said.

Selig led Staples with 14 points, Harvey had eight, Emma Asiel had six and Talbott added five.

Staples visits Suffield at 1:30 p.m. Monday.  (Game schedules are subject to change; click for the latest updates.)

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