LaPorta, Taylor, defense push Highland past rival Triad in MVC opener
Bella LaPorta and Kirsten Taylor provided the scoring and Highland’s girls basketball team got a strong night from their frenetic pressure defense as they opened Mississippi Valley Conference play with a solid 44-34 road win at archrival Triad on Thursday, Dec. 5.
Highland, which has now won three straight since losing game two of the Salem Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 23, moved to 4-1 (1-0).
Lady Bulldogs coach Clint Hamilton said he felt his offense could have been better due to some missed shots in both halves but was glad HHS could once again lean on their defense as HHS held Triad under 20 points in the first half.
“They (Triad) made a couple of tough shots, but I thought we did a good job of closing out and getting a hand in their faces,” Hamilton said. “We got a couple of steals and it just seemed tonight that when we got a steal, it didn’t lead to transition baskets for some reason and I think they may have been pressing a little bit, trying to make a big shot or play.”
There was no pressing for LaPorta or Taylor as the junior forward and junior guard clicked for 12 points and 10 points, respectively.
LaPorta was quite effective on the baseline in the first half, scoring eight of her 12 points and helping the Lady Bulldogs to a 20-17 halftime lead.
“I really count on the guards to give me the ball and they do a really good job of that,” LaPorta said. “I hand it to them for giving me the ball and I do my job. I was posting up hard and trying to get open and the guards saw me and that worked well for us.”
“Bella played really well for us,” Hamilton said. “She did a good job early of establishing her spots (on the floor).”
Turning up their relentless man to man press defense to start the third quarter, HHS used an 11-4 surge keyed by a Taylor 3-pointer and capped by a pair of Taylor free throws to build a 31-21 lead with 3:37 left in the third quarter.
“We really focus on our defense to build our offense, so defense comes first obviously, so we’ve got to focus on that and then the offense will come,” LaPorta said.
Sophomore post player Alyssa Powell paced the Knights (3-3, 0-1) with a game-high 15 points. However, her big night was not nearly enough as the Lady Bulldogs frustrated Triad sophomore guard Avery Bohnenstiehl, holding her to just six points and not letting the Knights break the 35-point mark.
“We did a couple of good things today and obviously there’s a couple of things we need to work on when it comes to zone (defense), and just getting to our spots,” Hamilton said.
Highland returns to action 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at home against MVC foe Jerseyville. Triad visit Civic Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9.
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 3:39 PM.