Basketball Recap: Griffin Ott-Large Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Kankakee Valley

La Porte won the last time they faced Kankakee Valley and things went their way on Saturday too. The La Porte Slicers enjoyed a cozy 70-51 victory over the Kankakee Valley Kougars. Given the Slicers' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 97th, while the Kougars are ranked 223rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

La Porte got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Griffin Ott-Large out in front who went 9 of 14 en route to 23 points and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Nic Spence, who dropped a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards.

Slicers

Assists

02/08/25 vs Kankakee Valley	18
02/06/25 vs Valparaiso	11
02/01/25 vs Concord	8
01/31/25 @ Crown Point	16
01/24/25 @ Michigan City	6
+ 37 more games

Ott-Large wasn't the only one working in the assist department: La Porte was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in November of 2023.

Several Kougars players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Brady Sampson, who went 5 for 10 to rack up 12 points and six rebounds. Sampson is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 45% in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Bobby Lalonde, who posted 17 points.

La Porte's record now sits at 13-7. As for Kankakee Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-8.

Looking ahead, La Porte is taking a road trip to face off against Merrillville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Kankakee Valley, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Calumet New Tech at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.