LAPORTE | Jaclyn Heath already has her name in the record books as the all-time leader in assists for LaPorte.
Her teammates wanted to get in on the act on Tuesday night.
The Slicers had nine assists on 11 baskets in the first half, jumping out to a six-point halftime lead they would never relinquish in a 49-40 victory over Duneland Athletic Conference foe Portage.
Heath didn’t register her first assist until 5:40 left in the third quarter, as her teammates moved the ball unselfishly throughout the game.
“Everyone was involved in what we were doing tonight,” Heath said, “It helps when people are knocking down shots.”
Delanie Alcorn scored 14 of her game-high 17 points in the first half and the junior connected on four 3-pointers before the break.
“Delanie has been working on her shot all summer,” Heath said. “We lost a shooter after last year, and Delanie has stepped in very well.”
Portage senior Nicki Monahan hit her first four shots in the first half, but then missed her next six as the Slicers (7-2, 3-2 DAC) played an aggressive zone that forced the Times No. 6 Indians (5-3, 2-3) to take outside shots. Portage finished just 2-of-17 from the 3-point line.
“We attacked the inside pretty well in the first half, and that was the game plan coming in,” Portage coach Chris Seibert said. “I felt like we rushed up some shots. We needed to be a bit more patient offensively.”
Monahan finished with a team-high 14 points, while Kaitlin Doud had 12 points and five rebounds.
Kelsey Gushrowski added 11 points for the Slicers, and Taylor Thompson collected eight points, five rebounds and four assists. The Slicers made a concerted effort to push the ball inside in the second half.
“We’d get Jaclyn moving around their zone, and that got Delaine some open shots in the first half,” LaPorte coach Skeeter Heath said. “Then in the second we spread out the zone a bit, and we were able to get some good looks inside.”
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