Exciting. Remarkable. Persistent. Courageous. Spectacular. Fun.
All those adjectives apply to the Staples High School boys basketball team.
Down by a nearly insurmountable 18 points in the 4th quarter last night, they staged a fierce, high-pressure-pressing comeback in the semifinals of the state Division II tournament, at Westhill High.
After a 15-0 run against #3 ranked Fairfield Warde, Caleb Smith’s 3-pointer with 37 seconds left tied the score at 48-48.
Here’s the 3 by Staples’ Caleb Smith to tie Warde with 37 secs left in the fourth. The Wreckers hit six 3s, five in the fourth qtr. #ctbb @GameTimeCT pic.twitter.com/44gXTsMtLq
— Dave Stewart (@DStewartSports) March 16, 2023
Then — still tied, with 13 seconds remaining in the first 4-minute overtime — sophomore Adam Udell stole an inbounds pass, and scored.
A huge block by Chris Zajac — the 6-8 center who scored scored 17 points — sealed the victory.
Umm. Wow! Staples is headed to the Mohegan Sun 57-55 over the Fairfield Warde Mustangs. #ctbb @DaveRuden pic.twitter.com/Uc1jofDkUJ
— John Nash (@NikonNash) March 16, 2023
The 57-55 victory vaults the Wreckers into the state finals for the first time since … 1937.
They won that game 26-23 over Farmington. Franklin D. Roosevelt was president of the United States.
The 2023 finals is set for either Saturday or Sunday, at Mohegan Sun Arena. #7-seeded Staples will face #1 St. Bernard-Uncasville. The Saints beat Xavier-Middletown 78-53 in the other semifinal.
The Uncasville school is just a few miles from the casino’s basketball court. St. Bernard’s will have plenty of fans at Mohegan Sun.
But the Westporters will too.
Plus the intangibles that have taken them so far already: Talent. Teamwork. Confidence. Excellent coaching.
And momentum.
EXTRA POINTS: To see the entire game, click here….
In addition to Zajac’s 17 points, Staples’ scoring was led by Cody Sale (14), Gavin Rothenberg (10), Smith (8) and Udell (6) ….
28 of the Wreckers’ 57 points — almost exactly half — came in that wild 4th quarter….
Staples head coach Dave Goldshore is in just his first year at the helm. He spent 5 years as Colin Devine’s assistant. Devine stepped down after last winter, to pursue administrative opportunities.