The Merrillville Pirates used a 25-0 run in the first quarter and cruised to a 69-52 victory over Chesterton Tuesday night in Duneland Athletic Conference girls basketball action.

The win gave the Pirates at least a share of the DAC crown.

The Trojans turned the ball over 13 times and shot just eight percent from the field in the first quarter and trailed 41-16 at halftime.

Caroline Puntillo led Chesterton with 22 points, including 20 in the second half.

Sarah Richards added 10 points, while Kassidy Scott (7 points), Haley Sekula (6 points), Jordan Wadding (5 points) and Hannah McCafferty (2 points) rounded out the scoring.

AT MERRILLVILLE

Chesterton (2-14-16-20)

Richards 4-7 0-1 10, Conway 0-2 0-0 0, Scott 3-6 0-0 7, McCafferty 1-4 0-0 2, Puntillo 5-17 12-13 22, Sekula 3-6 0-0 6, Mochen 0-1 0-0 0, Wadding 2-4 0-0 5. Totals 18-47 12-14 52.

Merrillville (25-16-15-13)

Morris 6-11 1-2 16, Gaines 6-9 1-4 13, Talley 5-8 1-2 11, Harris 3-6 0-0 7, Downs 4-9 2-2 10, Peppers 2-3 0-0 5, Sturdivant 2-6 0-2 4, McClintock 0-2 3-4 3. Totals 28-54 8-16 69.

3-point field goals: Chesterton 4-10 (Richards 2-3, Scott 1-3, Puntillo 0-1, Wadding 1-3); Merrillville 5-10 (Morris 3-6, Harris 1-2, Peppers 1-2). Rebounds: Chesterton 25 (Puntillo 9); Merrillville 34 (Gaines 7). Assists: Chesterton 6 (Puntillo 3); Merrillville 6 (Morris 2). Steals: Chesterton 13 (Puntillo 4); Merrillville 18 (Morris 6).

Junior Varsity

Chesterton 41, Merrillville 35

The Chesterton junior varsity basketball team outscored Merrillville 17-7 in the second quarter and held on for a 41-35 victory on Tuesday night.

Lia Lombardini led the Trojan offense with 13 points, while Hailee Norton added 11. Lauren Kusbel tallied seven points in the victory.

Rounding out the scoring were McKenzie Sullivan (3 points), Kayla Malackowski (3 points), Morgan Skube (2 points) and Natalie Petro (2 points).

Posted 1/23/2013