Stamford Boys Basketball Suffers Heartbreaking Loss At Staples

It seems no matter how hard the Stamford Black Knights play this season, they can never get the lucky bounce when they need it the most. 

That theme held true again on Tuesday night at Staples High School as the Black Knights suffered a heartbreaking 51-50 loss to the Wreckers in FCIAC boys basketball action.

Although Stamford had three shots up close to the basket with less than 10 seconds remaining, it could not get the ball to fall.  They lost a winnable game that dropped them to 9-4 in the FCIAC and 10-5 overall.

 “It’s a tough loss,  but we played a very good team,” Stamford head coach James Moriarty said. 

“It’s the second time this year that the ball has rolled in the wrong direction for us at the buzzer. Here tonight where it didn’t go in, and once at  McMahon where it rolled in for them. So those are really tough losses.”

Turnovers hurt Stamford throughout the game, repeatedly throwing the ball away to the Staples’ defenders.

“I feel terrible, said Stamford point guard Jakai Wilson, who finished with eight points.  "I’m supposed to be the leader of the team and I had five turnovers tonight."

After Staples had the lead late in the second half, the Black Knights were forced to press. However this plan backfired, as the Wreckers were able to take advantage of the open parts of the court to score easy baskets. 

“I was afraid to press them, because I didn’t want to open up the floor for their shooters,” Moriarty said.  “It worked early to change the tempo of the game,  but I think we stayed with it too long and they were able to exploit it.”

One positive for the Black Knights was the play of shooting guard Danny Turkvan, who had 16 points and hit big threes late in the game to keep it close.  But Turkvan was unhappy with his performance, citing his last-second miss as something that cannot happen in the future.

“Tonight was a great learning experience,” Turkvan said.  “I tried to do everything for my team but tonight wasn’t my night because I need to do more during clutch situations.”

The Wreckers played a total team-oriented game on this evening with no standout stars that allowed them to improve to 11-3 in the FCIAC and 12-4 overall.  However, there were several players who came up big down the stretch when their team needed them the most.

Staples senior center Andrew Felman was definitely one of these players, leading the Wreckers with 12 points and also taking a key charge with less than a minute remaining when the momentum was about to switch in Stamford’s direction.

“I’m a 6-foot tall center on a good day and I go against bigger guys every game.” Felman said.  “But I’m always trying to use my body and take charges because I know I’m not going to block many shots out there.”

Another Staples’ player who came through in the clutch was senior guard Luke Yeager, who hit several big three-pointers to keep the lead as Stamford was threatening. 

“It feels great to contribute to the team when I can,” said Yeager, who had nine points on the night.  “It was a big team effort and we were happy to make a statement by stopping their winning streak.”

Despite this loss, the Black Knights remain optimistic that they will be not make the same mistakes during the playoffs.

“We need to get to the gym, take more shots, and work as a unit,” Turkvan said. “We need to go into practice with more intensity and make sure we’re more disciplined in the future.”