Words and photos by Andy Hutchison.
FAIRFIELD — After falling behind 18-2 in the FCIAC title game, at Fairfield University on Wednesday, the No. 2 Staples girls basketball team played evenly with top seed Greenwich en route to a 65-49 defeat.
The Wreckers trailed 28-14 at the half and fell behind by as many as 19 before pulling to within 10 and seizing some momentum the team hopes will spill over into the Division II State Tournament.
“Good momentum,” Staples Coach Tommy Sparks said. “We know we can play well and compete with anybody.”
Missed shots coupled with Greenwich’s early offense put the Wreckers in a hole.
Down 17 going to the fourth, the Wreckers gained some traction. Freya Harvey, who scored 19 points, hit a 3-pointer following a turnover. Marley Belzer scored, and Emma Asiel converted to make it 57-45 with 2:45 left.
The Wreckers forced a turnover and Harvey scored despite a foul, pulling the Wreckers to within 10 with 2:26 to go. Chloe Smith, who logged 22 points, grabbed a rebound off the missed free throw and the Wreckers had a chance to get even closer. But Greenwich held on; the Cardinals were led by MVP Zuri Faison (27 points).
“We were timid to start. Definitely, the moment got to us a bit,” Sparks said. “We had to adjust. Once we got comfortable and settled in we played fine. It’ll help us in states.”
The state playoffs get underway Saturday when the D-II bracket’s No. 3 Wreckers entertain No. 30 Lyman Hall at noon. With a win, Staples will host a familiar foe, the winner of a clash between FCIAC rivals — No. 14 Fairfield Warde and No. 19 Ridgefield — in the second round on Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m. (check casciac.org for updates and schedule changes).
Staples stands to hold home court right through the quarterfinals before things shift to a neutral site for the semis.
Andy Hutchison
Andy Hutchison has been covering school sports — including Staples athletics — as well as news and feature stories, since the 1990s. He is the sports editor at the Newtown Bee. He writes for the Monroe Sun. He was director of communications and radio color commentator for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (now Islanders) hockey team. He has won numerous writing awards, including regional and national first-place honors.
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