By Andy Hutchison

FAIRFIELD — Adam Udell was a point-scoring machine that just needed its button pushed. 

After a sluggish start that saw Staples boys basketball team score only four points in the first 6:20 minutes of Wednesday’s FCIAC championship game, Udell turned it on, sinking a 3-pointer that silenced fans of top-seed Ridgefield.

That sparked a 12-0 run, powering No. 2 Staples to a 68-58 triumph — the team’s first conference title since way back in 1963. The title game was played at Fairfield University.

After Udell’s crucial basket, Charlie Bowman’s tip-in gave the Wreckers a 9-8 lead with 20 seconds left in the opening stanza. From there, the Wreckers never relinquished the lead.

Udell went on to score 24 points on his way to tournament MVP laurels.

Another key Staples contributor, Matty Corrigan, dropped in 19 points — 12 of which came on four connections from 3-point land — a dozen above his average point total this year. 

Mason Tobias scored 11, Dhilan Lowman had six on a pair of 3-pointers, Bowman had four and Austin Heyer and Jack Jacob each added two.

Udell  had a steal and breakaway layup and Corrigan nailed a 3 to make it 16-8 capping the first of several Staples runs. 

Ridgefield eventually closed to within 22-18, but eight straight Staples points — highlighted by 3-pointers from Corrigan and Lowman —made it 30-18. It was 30-21 Wreckers at the break.

Corrigan picked up right where he left off with a third quarter-opening 3-pointer. Udell’s 3-pointer pushed the lead to a baker’s dozen at 36-23.

The Tigers used an 8-0 run of their own to climb back, clawing to within 38-34 before Staples responded with, a run of its own featuring another pair of Corrigan baskets from downtown.

Staples was in command 47-36 going to the fourth. Ridgefield would not go away. Things got interesting at 49-45 Wreckers just 1:35 into the final stanza. 

But Udell answered with a 3-pointer and followed that with a pull-up jumper to get the advantage back to nine in just over a minute of momentum-shifting game time. Tobias hit a big 3 from straightaway to help the Wreckers maintain a relatively comfortable lead the rest of the way.

Corrigan, although he did much of his scoring damage from the outside, was also a threat down low and converted a shot in the paint off a nice pass from Udell that gave the Wreckers a 63-51 lead with 1:50 left. 

Udell sank seven of eight foul shot attempts in the final quarter to help close things out.

“It feels amazing to get it done after falling short two years in a row,” said Udell, referring to back-to-back FCIAC title game setbacks.

Speaking of setbacks, the Wreckers had to get it done without high-scorer and all-around standout Sam Clachko, who went down with a season-ending arm injury in early February. 

Udell acknowledged that it was tough for the Wreckers to overcome Clachko’s loss, but that the team never lost hope. “We were super confident. Not one person put down their head,” he said.

In fact, it was Udell who stepped up and took on the leadership role, Staples Coach David Goldshore said.

“When Sam went down, which was a blow to us, he [Udell] came to me and said, ‘Coach, I’ve got this,’ ” Goldshore recalled.

The Staples coach noted that Clachko’s support during practices, pushing his teammates and challenging them, helped prepare them to rise to the top. 

Clachko was on the bench Wednesday, a cast on his arm, celebrating every basket along with teammates as the Wreckers got it done.

Staples handed Ridgefield its only regular-season defeat in FCIAC play this year, and with the championship, has beaten a tough Tiger squad twice with the encore the program’s biggest win in a long time.

“I’m just proud of Westport. I’m proud of Staples,” Goldshore said.

Staples is not done yet. 

The Wreckers are the No. 4 seed in the Division I state tournament. Due to a small D-I field of 16 teams, all of them get a first-round bye and move onto the second round, as designated in the CIAC website. 

The Wreckers open the tourney hosting No. 13 Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. (Game schedules are subject to change; click for the latest CIAC updates.)

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