Staples Wreckers Devastate Ridgefield 71-54 To Gain Berth In FCIAC Championship Game
Senior Gavin Rothenberg, back from an injury goes for 2 of his 16 points in Staples overwhelming victory over Ridgefield in Wednesday night’s FCIAC semi-final tournament matchup.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
On Wednesday night, Staples Boys Basketball defeated Ridgefield by a score of 71-54 in the semi-finals of the FCIAC Tournament at Wilton High School. Staples (10-5) previously defeated Ridgefield on January 6 to give the number one seeded Ridgefield Tigers (14-1) their lone FCIAC loss going into last night semi-final matchup. Staples' dominant center Chris Zajac was once again outstanding (23 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks) coupled with the Staples' guards shooting an eye-opening 8-15 from 3-point land, proved too much for the Ridgefield Tigers. Zajac, who wears number 12, drew much attention in the post from the Ridgefield defense in the first half, which opened up numerous opportunities for the Staples guards.
Senior Gavin Rothenberg, number 20, in just his second game back from injury, dialed in 16 points on the night, including 4 three-pointers. Cody Sale, number 4 also proved to be a difficult cover for the Ridgefield defenders, scoring 15 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists. The Staples Wreckers also got big contributions from freshman Sam Clachko, number 24 (11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) and sophomore Adam Udell, number 1, (4 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists).
The Ridgefield Tigers took a quick 4-0 lead to start the game. The Staples faithful erupted when Sam Clachko drilled his first three pointer of the game, making it 4-3. The Wreckers fans were an effective "sixth man" helping pumping up the energy level to 11 the entire game.
After senior point guard number 3, Charlie Honig converted on a layup in the paint, Ridgefield responded, going up 8-5. Staples took a timeout shortly after. Clachko drilled his second trey right after the timeout to tie the game at 8-8 and the Staples Wreckers never looked back. At the end of the first quarter, Staples led 18-12. In the second quarter, Senior Captain Cody Sale asserted himself and the Staples Wreckers led 39-21 going into halftime.
To start the second half, the Tigers came out with an aggressive zone press to give the Wreckers a different look. Once the shifty Staples guards were able to break the full-court press, the second half was all about Chris Zajac, who scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half. Zajac shot an impressive 9 for 10 from the foul line. Staples won the game 71-54, and will play Danbury High School for the FCIAC Championship game on Friday, March 3rd at Wilton High School at 6 PM. The Danbury Hatters (13-2) played the first semi and were number 3 going into the tournament but struggled to defeat Trumbull (9-6) in the final minute with a 52-50 victory.
Staples first year coach Dave Goldshore was elated with his team and their performance, telling WestportLocalPress "They've been working hard for three months, they play for each other, they care about one another, they bought into the culture…" He was effusive in his praise of his players, saying, "It's an honor every single day to leave my job to be with these kids", adding "I've had the best seat in the house for the last three months and I can't wait to keep going with it." When asked if he was concerned matching up against top seed Ridgefield Goldshore said "yeah, you know they are a great defensive basketball team, but we shot it well and Chris (center Captain Chris Zajac) was Chris!
The last time these teams met was on January 17, when Staples lost at Danbury 63-54. Friday is must-see TV as the Wreckers look to win their first ever FCIAC Championship. The last time Staples topped the FCIAC was in 1963 before the championship tournament began. With the weather a possible issue on Friday, the game may be postponed to Saturday March 4th.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The last time these teams met was on January 17, when Staples lost at Danbury 63-54. Friday is must-see TV as the Wreckers look to win their first ever FCIAC Championship. The last time Staples topped the FCIAC was in 1963 before the championship tournament began. With the weather a possible issue on Friday, the game may be postponed to Saturday March 4th.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Rain likely, mainly before 10am. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 53. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 29. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Northwest wind 9 to 15 mph.
Tomorrow
A 40 percent chance of rain after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. North wind 6 to 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
Rain, snow, and sleet, becoming all rain after 10pm. Low around 34. Windy, with an east wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 21 to 26 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Westport Book Shop Welcomes Artist George Radwan for March
The Westport Book Shop is pleased to welcome mixed media artist George Radwan as guest exhibitor for the month of March at the Book Shop’s Drew Friedman Art Place.
George is exhibiting a group of birdhouses inspired by the shacks he saw years ago in the township of Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is also showing a few small, mixed media pieces, constructed of found and repurposed materials.
George Radwan grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles with a BFA in Advertising Design. After graduation, he worked for more than a decade as an art director in various Madison Avenue advertising agencies in New York, including a two-year stint at agencies in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Hong Kong. Today he is a project manager at VCA Inc., a high-end custom architectural woodworking and furniture company.
George Radwan’s artwork will be on exhibit at the Book Shop through March 31, 2023. All artwork on display is available for purchase.
To see more of George’s work, visit his website: https://georgeradwan.com Westport Book Shop, a nonprofit used book store, is downtown Westport’s only source for gently used and antiquarian books, vintage vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and audio books. It is located at 23 Jesup Road, right across Jesup Green from the Westport Library. The Book Shop’s “Drew Friedman Art Place” is an area of the store dedicated to exhibiting the work of community artists year-round, on a rotating basis. Miggs Burroughs, a Trustee of the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center, and a founding member of The Artists Collective of Westport, is curating these exhibits, which change monthly. The art exhibit is open to the public during the Book Shop’s business hours: Sundays and Mondays from Noon to 5 p.m., and Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Westport Book Shop, and the Westport Library Book Sales, are operated by Westport Book Sale Ventures, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit enterprise with the dual social mission to provide meaningful employment for adults with disabilities, while raising support for The Westport Library, through used book sales. In addition to the nonprofit Westport Book Shop, gently used books are also offered for sale online on the company’s website www.westportbooksaleventures.org/shop and through our eBay store at www.ebay.com/str/ westportbooksalesct, as well as at periodic large book sale events (the next book sale event is scheduled for May 5 through 8, 2023, inside the Westport Library). For more information, or to make a charitable donation, please visit our website at www.westportbooksaleventures.org
Westport Book Sale Ventures welcomes volunteers for all aspects of our operations, from book donation receipt and sorting, to preparing for and working at book sale events, to work in our online sales operation, and at the Westport Book Shop. For more information, and to get involved, please visit www.westportbooksales.org or send an email to info@westportbooksales.org
Car Drives into Staples High School Culinary Classroom; No Injuries Reported
Photo by Holden Caney for WestportLocal.comWestport Fire Department: Just prior to 8am this morning the fire department responded to the report of a car into the building and an active gas leak at Staples High School. The building was immediately evacuated by school personnel. The driver of the vehicle, an adult woman, inadvertently drove into the building. The fire department arrived and found gas actively leaking from a classroom kitchen. The woman was not injured and was out of the vehicle when the fire department arrived. The gas was quickly shut off and multiple fans were used to ventilate the gas from the building. There were no injuries as a result of the accident or gas leak.
The fire department responded to the scene with 4 engines, 1 ladder truck, and the shift commander. The Westport Fire Marshal’s Office, Westport Building Department, Westport Police Department, and Southern CT Gas Company responded to the scene to provide assistance.