ROCHELLE — A back-and-forth battle in the Interstate 8 Conference ensued on Tuesday, when the Rochelle Hub varsity basketball team faced LaSalle-Peru seeking its third win in four games.

While the Hubs found success driving the ball inside and finishing around the rim, the Cavaliers were equally as potent offensively, creating open shots around the perimeter throughout the evening. Rochelle held a slim lead early in the fourth quarter, but crucial turnovers and defensive letdowns down the stretch allowed LaSalle-Peru to escape with a 76-69 victory. Rochelle (3-8, 0-5 Interstate 8) will face Richmond-Burton in the E.C. Nichols Holiday Classic on Saturday.

“We should have been playing much faster offensively and defensively,” head coach Tim Thompson said. “I felt like LaSalle-Peru was playing with a tempo like they were ready to get beat tonight, but we didn’t capitalize on that… We couldn’t reverse the ball tonight, we weren’t setting screens and we weren’t making the extra passes. Defensively, we let the first guy drive right by us on the back end of our press and they had tons of guys open who made shots.”

Senior Eli Luxton fueled the Rochelle offense in the first quarter, where an emphatic one-handed dunk from the 6-foot-5 guard capped off a seven-point opening quarter. Luxton filled the box score on Tuesday, finishing with 21 points on nine made field goals while adding a team-high eight assists. Luxton also totaled seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the game.

A 3-pointer from junior Elijah Harley helped the Hubs take a 16-12 lead into the second quarter, where freshman Brody Bruns sparked Rochelle with a 3-pointer of his own and a series of aggressive dribble-drives to the basket. Bruns recorded a team-high 23 points and seven rebounds for the Hubs, who remained ahead 40-36 at halftime despite a strong effort from LaSalle-Peru’s Nicholas Olivero and Seth Adams, who combined for four second-quarter triples.

“Brody’s making strides and we’re working really hard to figure out how he can score around the lane,” Thompson said. “He’s attacking the rim and that’s what we want him to do. We’re still working with him around the 3-point line, but I think he needs more touches around the rim.”

Defensive mistakes hurt the Hubs in the third quarter, where LaSalle-Peru drilled three triples and showed no issues pushing the ball down the floor against Rochelle’s pressure. With the Cavaliers converting open 3-pointers and beating the Hubs down the floor for layups, Rochelle fell behind after three quarters, with LaSalle-Peru earning a 57-52 advantage in the game.

Needing a spark, Rochelle turned to its senior guard Luxton, who put home a trio of shots around the basket and made key passes underneath to help the Hubs retake the lead early in the fourth quarter. One of those assists went to the junior guard Harley, who flicked in a reverse layup to add to an overall performance of 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

LaSalle-Peru was unfazed, however, with 6-foot-6 forward Josh Senica hitting two 3-pointers down the stretch to help the Cavaliers cling to a five-point lead with less than three minutes remaining. LaSalle-Peru iced the win from the free-throw line, where the Cavaliers went 6-for-8 during the fourth quarter. Despite a 50-30 advantage in points in the paint for the Hubs, Rochelle conceded 11 triples while making just two. The Hubs also committed 21 turnovers in the loss.