By Andy Hutchison

WESTPORT — In basketball, sometimes it is better to take away than to give.

Such was the case Monday night as the Staples girls basketball team used 24 steals to snag a 56-44 win over the visiting Danbury Hatters.

The Wreckers handed out 14 assists as well, but it was the defense that sparked this bounce-back victory.

Staples held the Hatters to just six points in the first quarter and led 27-14 at the half.

Chloe Smith scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and came away with three of those thefts, in addition to coming up with a block. 

Freya Harvey netted 14, had seven rebounds, handed out five assists, compiled five of those takeaways and added a shot block of her own.

Addie Talbott scored nine, had four rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block. Sam Selig scored seven, grabbed three boards, registered an assist and came away with a trio of steals. Ella Harrington added five points, two rebounds, three assists and five steals.

Harvey and Talbott each hit a pair of 3-pointers as the Wreckers connected on seven baskets from downtown.

With the win, Staples rebounded from a 57-50 loss to Trumbull last Friday and improved to 8-4 in FCIAC play, currently in fifth place. Next, the Wreckers head to St. Joseph of Trumbull at 7 p.m. Friday. (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.