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.
