The Staples boys’ basketball team defeated the Greenwich Cardinals (3-6) 66-39 on Jan. 23. An 18-point, 10-assist double-double by Sam Clachko ’26 fueled the Wreckers to their win and an impressive 11-0 start.
This win was huge for the Wreckers as they lost to Greenwich on the road last year, and the Cardinals are conceptually the Wreckers’ biggest rival.
“Our coach tries to hold [us accountable] and makes sure that we are getting better every day, and it’s showing with our record so far,” Clachko said.
The Wreckers offense was dominant inside the arc, shooting 22-29 (76%) on two-point field goals, much better than Greenwich’s 45%. The Wreckers were not as efficient beyond the arc, only shooting 27% from three; however, it did not affect the outcome.
Defensively the Wreckers only allowed Greenwich to score 39 points, just under their 41.7 opponents point per game (ppg) average. The Wreckers had 11 steals (above their 9.3 steals per game average) and held Greenwich to a combined 12 poin
ts in the first and third quarters.
“It’s pretty simple, if you can’t defend, you can’t play.” Clachko said. “Our coaches won’t put you in the game unless you can keep hold of our defensive principles and show that on the court.”
The Wreckers are coached by reigning 2025 FCIAC coach of the year David Goldshore and led by star point guard and Connecticut College commit Sam Chlacko, averaging 13.4 ppg, 8.4 assists per game and 2.2 steals per game. Mason Tobias ’26 leads the team in scoring with 14.5 ppg, and four out of the five starters are averaging at least 10+ ppg. The exception is Matty Corrigan ’26 who is right there with an average of 9.3 ppg.
“I think that we just have like five guys that can do just pretty much everything off the court and we play really well off each other,” Corrigan said. “Just playing really good team basketball.”
The Wreckers are 11-0 and ranked as the number three team in Connecticut, but they still aspire to improve in order to achieve their state goal of winning the Connecticut Division 1 state championship. Division 1 is the highest standard of competition for Connecticut High School Basketball and the Wreckers will need to get through teams like Notre Dame Prep, the number one team in CT with an impressive win over Mater Dei (a prestigious California school known for their athletics) and top ranked Notre Dame West Haven (led by four star Arkansas basketball commit Abdou Toure) to win the title.
“I think we have to come out better,” Austin Heyer ’27 said. “In past games, we haven’t been as good as we would have wanted, but just coming out better and fixing all the little things is what we need to improve on.”
