Basketball Game Preview: Darien Blue Wave vs. Staples Wreckers

Darien and Staples are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2015, but not for long. The Darien Blue Wave will head out on the road to take on the Staples Wreckers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Darien has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Staples will arrive with eight straight victories.

On Tuesday, Darien was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 54-50 to St. Joseph.

Meanwhile, Staples faced Stamford in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. Staples really took it to Stamford for the full four quarters, racking up a 77-48 win. The Wreckers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 23 points or more this season.

Darien better keep an eye on Sam Clachko. He was instrumental in Staples' win, going 9 for 14 on his way to 25 points and four steals. Clachko's evening made it eight games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Tobias, who went 9 of 11 on his way to 19 points and five rebounds.

Darien now has a losing record at 3-4. As for Staples, their victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-0.

Things could have been worse for Darien, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 61-45 loss to Staples when the teams last played back in January of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Clachko, who went 10 of 19 on his way to 30 points in addition to six assists and four steals. Now that Darien knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.