Staples boys’ basketball tipped off their season with a 49-35 win against the Greenwich Cardinals on Feb. 9.

Staples’ second quarter effort was pivotal, as the team put together both an offensive and defensive performance giving themselves a 34-24 point lead at the half, which proved to be insurmountable for Greenwich.

Chris Zajac ’23 and captain Derek Sale ’22 were instrumental in the team’s success. Sale performed on offense scoring 12, while Zajac came up big on defense and was the team’s leading rebounder.

Sale is excited to be a leader for this year’s team.

“It means a lot knowing that the team put their trust in me and voted me captain,” Sale said. “I’m super excited to lead the team along with Lucas and Sean and I’m hype for the next few weeks.”

Both defenses were strong in the third quarter as the teams only scored a combined seven points.

“The defensive effort definitely led our team to a victory last night,” Sean Clarke ’21 said. “We only scored two or three points in the whole third quarter and we still won the game, which shows how well the defense played and stepped up when it had to.”

Staples closed out the game with an offensive push and took home the first win of the season.

“I think this win reinforces what we already know that we are a good team and can win,” Clarke said. “We just need to believe in that and we will be all good.”

Staples next looks to take on Danbury on Feb. 12 away.