The Staples girls’ varsity basketball team defeated the Hall Warriors 39-35 in the first round of the CIAC state class LL playoffs

Captain Elle Fair ’19 led the Wreckers with 18 points, hitting multiple threes that led Staples’ offense in the first half.

“Elle just played lights out,” Marisa Shorrock ’20 said. “Elle is a great leader who steps up in the biggest of situations.”

Siobhan Boyle ’19 of the Warriors was the high-scorer in the first half, giving Hall a 23-20 halftime lead.

“I think we started off slow in the first half,” Abby Carter ’20 said. “We got more aggressive as the game went on. Although we may have had struggles offensively, especially in the third quarter, we were able to lock them down defensively in the second half.”

The third quarter was a low scoring affair for both teams. The Wreckers were held to just six point, but stout defense kept the Warriors to zero points.

Late in the fourth quarter, Staples forced steals on three straight possessions, helping to finish off the game. A steal by guard Nicole Holmes ’21 with thirty seconds left in the game sealed the win.

“Overall it really was a great team win,” Marley Lopez-Paul ’21 said. “Obviously we had our ups and downs throughout the 36 minutes but we stuck together and came out on top.”

Since the opening win, the girls suffered a loss to Norwalk in the state playoffs, eliminating them from the tournament.