The Staples Wreckers’ boys’ basketball team (22-3) defeated the Kolbe Cathedral Cougars (11-11) 80-71 on March 4, in an effort that will see Staples advance to the CIAC quarterfinals. The game marks the Wreckers’ eighth consecutive victory since a close loss to Trumbull.
Staples started the game hot, jumping out to a 7- 0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. The Wreckers would continue their run of offensive form, leading 30-22 at the end of the first quarter, with captain Adam Udell ’25 setting up his teammates for multiple open shots on his way to a double double.
“That’s what he does,” Head Coach David Goldshore said. “He facilitates the offense. He’s been doing it since I’ve known him for 10 years. He’s phenomenal.”
Staples maintained a steady 8-10 point cushion throughout the second quarter in part due to highly efficient three point shooting: Udell, Matty Corrigan ’26, Austin Heyer ’27 and Dhilan Lowman ’27 all shot at or above 50 percent from beyond the arc. Notably, the Wrecker offense succeeded despite the absence of First Team All FCIAC guard Sam Clacko, who is currently injured and averages 19 points per game, according to Maxpreps.
During the second quarter Kolbe would attempt to find more points in the paint. The Wrecker defense initially struggled to cope with the change in tactics, surrendering more points on the interior and sending a couple cougars to the free throw line.
“In the first half they were really aggressive going to the rim, we just really could not get any stops,” Forward Mason Tobias ’26 said.
At halftime, Staples entered the locker room with a 45-27 advantage. Goldshore recognized the opportunity for Staples to pull away should the team correct its defensive errors.
“We talked about the defensive side, we thought we gave up way too many points in the first half so [we tried] to clean [the defense] up,” Udell said. “It didn’t look great, but it got a little bit better so we were able to go on a run.”
Staples’ defense would tighten in the second half as the Wreckers held Kolbe to just 12 points in the third quarter. Although Kolbe would make a late push in the second half, Staples’ 17 point lead proved too difficult for the Cougars to overcome.
The win moves the Wreckers to 22-3 on the season and sets up a matchup with the St. Bernard Saints at 7 P.M. on March 6 at Fairfield Warde High School. St. Bernard has beaten the Wreckers in their last three meetings, but the Wreckers will look to flip the script with a win and continue their tournament run.
“[St. Bernard is] a team that’s had our number for the last two years,” Goldshore said. “They’re going to take the drive down here and we are going to give it our best shot.”
