By Andy Hutchison

Rather than a mere glimpse of the future, the Staples High School girls basketball team’s season so far provides a large picture of what is to come. 

The Wreckers have a lineup chock full of underclassmen getting their feet wet at the varsity level.

Such was the case Dec. 22 when Staples Coach Paco Fabian got 16 players, many of them freshmen and sophomores, onto the court during the game, before falling 60-28 to host St. Joseph in Trumbull. 

Staples was coming off 52-45 setback to visiting New Fairfield on Dec. 13.

Fabian said the coaching staff looks for the positives in each game, and there is plenty of optimism for the future while the Wreckers also look for some success as the seniors close out their careers.

In the St. Joseph game, nine Wreckers registered points. Sarah Von Dohlen led the way with eight. Marley Belzer scored four. Emma Asiel, Claire Sandhaus, Sadie Katzner, Freya Harvey, Reese Rein, Scarlett Siegel and Tori Emmert also contributed points.

After falling behind 34-15 at the half, the Wreckers matched the Cadets in third-quarter scoring until Erin Lovett canned a half-court shot at the third-quarter buzzer for three of her 18 points. It was 45-23 heading into the fourth and St. Joseph pulled away.

On Dec. 27, the Wreckers were back in action against Fairfield Warde (at neutral holiday tournament site, Fairfield Ludlowe) and lost 43-34.

Staples takes on St. Paul Catholic (back on Ludlowe’s court) at noon Wednesday in the final game of the calendar year.

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