Basketball Game Preview: Staples Wreckers vs. St. Joseph Cadets

The Staples Wreckers will face off against the St. Joseph Cadets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Staples' favor as the squad sits on nine straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while St. Joseph has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.

Last Monday, Staples beat Danbury 42-34. The 42-point effort marked the Wreckers' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Matt Corrigan

Blocked Shots (Career)

02/10/25 @ Danbury	3
02/04/25 vs Ludlowe	2
02/01/25 @ St. Bernard	2
01/03/25 vs New Canaan	2
12/28/24 @ Pomperaug	2

Staples relied on the efforts of Mason Tobias, who went 6 for 11 on his way to 19 points and seven rebounds, and Matt Corrigan, who posted ten points in addition to six boards and three steals. The dominant performance also gave Corrigan a new career-high in blocks (three). Another player making a difference was Austin Heyer, who put up four points.

Meanwhile, St. Joseph came up short against New Canaan on Monday and fell 58-49.

Staples will need to focus on slowing down Jayden Febus, one of several St. Joseph players who made an impact when they last played. He had 12 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jules Jacques, who scored six points and six rebounds.

Staples' victory bumped their record up to 14-3. As for St. Joseph, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-11.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Staples has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 29.1 boards per game. However, it's not like St. Joseph struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Staples skirted past St. Joseph 71-69 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was St. Joseph's TJ Wright, who earned 21 points along with five boards and three steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Staples still be able to contain Wright? There's only one way to find out.