Wreckers Boys Head To CIAC Tournament Semi-Final With 56-35 Win Over New London
The Wreckers proudly pose for yet another post-victory photo after they won their quarter-final game against the New London Whalers.
Photos by J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan for WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The #1 seeded Wreckers of Staples High School weathered an early surge from the #8-seeded Whalers of New London before asserting control in the boys basketball division 1 quarterfinals Friday night in Westport. New London drew first blood when senior point guard JJ Robinson (4 points) drove right and made a tough righty layup. After a couple good looks that just did not finish, Staples lost New London senior Jamir Hall (18 points), who burned his first three of the night right in front of the Staples student section to put the Whalers up 5-0.
Staples responded with their first points on the next possession with a floater from senior Sam Clachko (12 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds). Shortly after a fastbreak layup from junior Austin Heyer (10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), senior forward Mason Tobias (9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) would take a charge that shifted the momentum in favor of Staples. An offensive rebound and putback layup by sophomore Henry Veissid (2 points, 2 rebounds) just as the first quarter buzzer sounded would put the Wreckers up 13-11.
The teams and the fans stand and face the flag for the singing of our National Anthem.
As always, the Wrecker take the floor at the start of the game with their usual confidence.
Photos by J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan for WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
On the first possession of the second quarter, Staples junior Dhilan Lowman (17 points, 6 rebounds) burned his first of 5 three-pointers on the night. Very sound defense played by the Wreckers would hold the Whalers to just 4 points in the second quarter.
Staples continued to inch ahead of the Whalers with an and-1 layup by senior Jack Jacob (6 points, 2 rebounds) followed by a Dhilan Lowman transition three that would be a sign of things to come. The strong defense, which in turn fueled their fast-paced transition offense, propelled the Wreckers to a 23-15 halftime lead over the Whalers of New London.
To start off the third quarter, New London senior Kyaire Young (11 points) started to impose his will in the post, with a clean lefty spin move on the first possession. Staples senior Mason Tobias would quickly respond with a lefty spin move of his own on the other end of the floor, making the score 25-17. The second half felt very much like the start of the first half for Staples, who had plenty of great looks that came up short. After treys from Hall and Young, and a layup from New London's Cashiz Zeigler (2 points, 1 rebound), Staples coach Dave Goldshore called timeout with the score 27-25. That is as close as the game would get though, as the Staples avalanche seemed to commence in the last 3 minutes of the third quarter, and ending with another Dhilan Lowman trey to make the score 40-31 at the end of the third quarter.
The Staples student section gave one burst of energy after another as they cheered the teams many highlight moments as the Wreckers kept rolling up the score. The game was sold out, and parents, friends and fans packed the bleachers and felt Wreckers Spirit.
Photos by J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan for WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Wreckers Cheerleaders show their skills at halftime keeping the crowd energized.
The fourth quarter continued to go as Staples intended, with an and-1 layup by Tobias followed by a technical foul from New London to make the score 44-31 with 7:20 left in the ball game. Staples would go on to do an excellent job managing the clock in the fourth quarter, continuously running the 35 second shot-clock down near 0 and then scoring seemingly every time. Both teams emptied their benches at the 1:30 mark with the score 56-35, which would ultimately be the final.
Staples will advance to the semi finals of division 1 on Monday, March 16 at 6 PM, where they will face off against #5 seeded Notre Dame Prep (Fairfield) at Fairfield Warde High School.
This is sure to be a standing-room-only match, as both heavyweights are within an 8-mile radius of the neutral site, which is a rarity as you get this deep into the tournament. Get your tickets early!
The boys and coaching staff celebrate after the photo-op for parents and fans.
Photos by J.C. Martin, Story by Jake Sullivan for WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Head coach David Goldshore is pumped as the of starters take a break giving the bench some game time. At right, Staples principal Stafford Thomas Jr. and Westport PD’s Corporal Craig Bergamo are all smiles as parents join the players on the floor to celebrate. and the crowd exits the gym.
Student sports fans dressed for this important game and made sure their voices were heard from buzzer to buzzer.