Lady Wreckers rally to beat Wilton

A seven-point deficit with three minutes remaining isn't always insurmountable.

The Staples girls basketball team proved that Tuesday when it rallied from a 48-41 deficit with 3:00 on the clock in its 53-48 home victory over Wilton.

Staples closed out the game with a 12-0 run and raised its record to 9-6. Wilton dropped to 10-4. Making this comeback even more remarkable was that the Lady Wreckers had three straight turnovers before they started to battle back. Following the third turnover, Staples coach Ed Huydic called a timeout.

"It was highly improbable, but we respected the ball and the last possessions were quality possessions," Huydic said. "The defense we played was great and the times we had it, we knew what to do with it. Every possession was huge and we needed to settle down after three turnovers. It was my best timeout all year."

Senior captain Jessica Coelho led the Lady Wreckers with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three blocked shots, two assists, two forced turnovers and three tieups. Classmate Sydney Houseworth had four points, seven rebounds, one steal and two forced turnovers. The duo combined to score the first eight points in the rally with both seniors scoring four points each.

"We knew we had to win this game and get our momentum back," Coelho said. "We needed to score or the game was over. Coach reminded us that every possession was important, and we knew we needed to come out hard."

Coelho took it to heart when she tied up Lady Warrior senior Maddy Fulton (12 points, nine rebounds) after the latter grabbed a defensive rebound and Staples got the ball back on the possession arrow. Houseworth then kept the possession alive by hustling for the offensive rebound.

"I saw where the ball was going and I went for it," Houseworth said.

Senior captain Remy Nolan (seven points, three assists, three forced turnovers) set up Coelho's layup and a chance for a 3-point play because she drew contact. Although Coelho missed the free throw, the Lady Wreckers remained unscathed because junior Nikki Bukovsky knocked the rebound off a Wilton player. Staples took advantage with a Houseworth layup.

Following Wilton junior Casey Pearsall's (14 points, 4-for-5 from the foul line) missed free throw, Houseworth grabbed the defensive rebound. Coelho took charge all game and cut it to one when she outfaked the Lady Warriors and hit a layup.

"I knew I needed to step it up, take control and play hard," Coelho said. "The last thing I wanted was to lose that game and I stepped it up."

She wasn't the only one to step it up. Junior Erica Stein had 10 points, four assists, three steals and five forced turnovers, none that was bigger then when she forced Wilton to throw a bad pass after Coelho's layup.

"We played up in their faces, screamed ball, and got in their heads," Stein said.

Coelho, who led the team in steals, intercepted the pass.

"The steals came to me in an adrenaline rush," Coelho said. "They were right there and I had to take it."

Stein's crisp pass set Houseworth's go-ahead layup with 1:04 left.

"I guess I had the basketball IQ tonight," Stein said. "Early in the game, I didn't make good decisions, and I had to think about it more."

Houseworth said, "I knew where Stein was going, and I knew where I had to be."

Bukovsky (nine points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, one blocked shot, two forced turnovers) then knocked a pass that led to a Stein steal. Stein iced the game by going 3-for-4 at the foul line.

"Erica Stein played a floor game tonight and she had one of her best games of the season," Huydic said.

Wilton led for most of the game with its lead peaking at nine, 16-7. Staples battled back and grabbed its first advantage at 30-28 on Bukovsky's 3-pointer. Pearsall's trey put the Lady Warriors back in front, 37-35, which they held onto until the big rally.

Sophomore Sophie de Bruijn (two points, one forced turnover) and freshman Maggie Fair (one assist, one forced turnover) also contributed for the Lady Wreckers.

Staples hosts Westhill tonight at 7 p.m.