WRECKERS WIN FCIAC CHAMPIONSHIP!
Wednesday night, Senior Captain Adam Udell led Staples Wreckers Basketball to the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, defeating the number one ranked Ridgefield Tigers 68-58. Wearing #1, quite fittingly, Udell was the game MVP, leading all scorers with 24 points including two 3-pointers. The game was played at the Mahoney Arena at Fairfield University and most of the arena's 3,500 seats were filled with cheering fans who roared at almost every time a basket was scored.
Photos By J.C. Martin, story by Jake Sullivan and J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
When the final buzzer sounded, the celebration began.
On a special night in which the FCIAC basketball championship made its debut in the beautiful Leo D. Mahoney arena on the campus of Fairfield University, the #2 seeded Staples Wreckers squared off against the #1 seeded Ridgefield Tigers. Ridgefield drew first blood to start the game on layup by Senior Alex Hickey (20 points), and it started off quite even.
The Ridgefield Tigers noticeably changed their defense from the first meeting just 7 days earlier, this time seemingly sagging off anybody not named Dhilan Lowman (sophomore, 6 points). A tip-in layup just before the first quarter buzzer by senior Charlie Bowman (6 points) gave the Wreckers a 9-8 lead after 1. In the second quarter, the Wreckers started to find themselves through their fast-paced offense as a result of their intense man-to-man defense.
Photos By J.C. Martin, story by Jake Sullivan and J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Quick baskets by Junior Mason Tobias (11 points, 4 rebounds) and sophomore Austin Heyer (2 points 2 assists 2 rebounds) followed by free throws from Junior Matt Corrigan (19 points) led to a quick Ridgefield timeout to start the second quarter. The Staples Wreckers’s depth was on display in the second quarter as multiple players got in the game and Joined the scoring party. The Wreckers led Ridgefield 30-21 at the half.
Coming out of the locker room, the second half was all about Adam Udell (24 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds) and Corrigan, who scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half. A couple gambles defensively and missed box-outs led to three pointers for the Ridgefield Tigers, which seemingly kept that in the game as the third quarter closed with a score of Staples 47 Ridgefield 39. The fourth quarter was all Staples, who seemed to score right after any basket by the Ridgefield Tigers. This trading-of-baskets proved to happen too late in the game for the Ridgefield Tigers.
Photos By J.C. Martin, story by Jake Sullivan and J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Coming out of the locker room, the second half was all about Adam Udell (24 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds) and Corrigan, who scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half. A couple gambles defensively and missed box-outs led to three pointers for the Ridgefield Tigers, which seemingly kept that in the game as the third quarter closed with a score of Staples 47 Ridgefield 39. The fourth quarter was all Staples, who seemed to score right after any basket by the Ridgefield Tigers. This trading-of-baskets proved to happen too late in the game for the Ridgefield Tigers.
The Staples faithful erupted as Adam Udell rifled a pass in the paint to Corrigan, who scored an and-1 layup to give Staples a 61-48 lead with 3:28 to go. After that, Ridgefield was in desperado mode and forced to foul, sending Udell to the free throw line, where he continued his poise. The crowd erupted again as Senior Charlie Bowman dribbled out the clock and the Staples bench jumped for joy. This FCIAC championship is the first since 1963, and is particularly special for the school, who had lost back-to-back conference championships in 2023 and 2024.
Photos By J.C. Martin, story by Jake Sullivan and J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Wreckers are not done this season, as they now head in the division 1 state tournament, hosting Kolbe Cathedral on March 4 at 6:30 PM.
The Staples cheerleaders did their best to contribute to “the sixth man”, revving up the Staples fans, who were outnumbered by the Ridgefield fans in the 3,500 seat Mahoney Arena. The crowd noise when ever either team made a great play was at times deafening. At one point, when it appeared that the momentum was with Staples, the Wreckers fans began chanting, D A V I D G O L D S H O R E!!
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When The Final Buzzer Sounded, The Celebration Began!
The Spales Wreckers Starting Five with their newly awarded FCIAC Championship medals.
Head Coach Goldshore made the rounds, hugging everyone he could, including his Mom (bottom, right) who was delighted with her son’s huge victory.
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Some of the team members receiving their medals. At bottom left, Adam Udell with his medal and MVP plaque. Udell lead all scorers with 24 points.
Head Coach David Goldshore with his FCIAC Championship team members.
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Proud parents take to the court to congratulate their boys and pose for some photos. At right, MVP Adam Udell is interviewed my members of the media.