Stablein Leads St. Joseph Into Second Round Of Class LL Basketball Tournament

Nancy Stablein poured in a career-high 37 points Tuesday as No. 14 seed defeated No. 19 Wilbur Cross 65-51 in a CIAC Class L first-round game in Trumbull.

Stablein hit 12 field goals, including five 3-pointers, and was 8-of-11 from the line for the FCIAC semifinalists who  improved to 16-7.

The Cadets will play in the second round on Friday at No. 3 Manchester, which had a bye in the opening round.

Jess Jowdy and Jen Vasquez added six points apiece for St. Joseph, which broke out to a 22-12 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.

The Cadets were only two of eight FCIAC teams in action Tuesday to prevail. The other survivor was Danbury.

FCIAC finalist Ridgefield was among the casualties,  along with Staples, Norwalk, Stamford, Westhill and Trinity Catholic.

Aailyah Robinson paced Wilbur Cross (14-9) with 18 points.