Staples rallies past Warde to earn 1st finals berth since 1937
STAMFORD — Chris Zajac, the 6-foot-8 senior center on the Staples’ boys basketball team, was right to the point.
“That’s the greatest win in Staples’ history,” Zajac said, without hesitation.
It would indeed be a tall task to find one that comes even close.
Trailing by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter, Staples staged an improbable comeback, eventually defeating Fairfield
Warde 57-55 in overtime in the CIAC Div. II semifinals Wednesday night at Westhill.
The Wreckers started the rally with a 12-0 run, tied the game at 48-48 on a 3-point bucket by Caleb Smith with 37 seconds remaining in regulation, and eventually won it when Adam Udell stole an inbounds pass and scored with 13 seconds left in OT.
Seventh-seeded Staples (21-6) advanced to the state final for the first time since FDR was president. The Wreckers won the 1937 championship, 26-23 over Farmington.
Now in 2023, they’ll square off against topseeded St. Bernard in the final at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday at 6:15 p.m..
David Goldshore, who took over as Wreckers head coach last June after five seasons as an assistant, was emotional while talking about the win.
“When you have a great group, you just never know what’s going to happen,” Goldshore said. “They kept fighting, they were confident and I’m at a loss for words. These kids deserve to take the trip and play in that arena, they just do. After a night like this, they’ve earned it. I can’t be any happier for them.”
Warde (20-5) appeared to be well on its way to the final during the first three quarters, building leads of 23-14 at halftime and 38-20 early in the fourth quarter.
But the Wreckers turned on the press and began to force numerous turnovers. They also hit five of their six 3-pointers