Third quarters have presented problems in the past for the Rochelle Hub varsity basketball team. That wasn’t the case Friday night, when the Hubs came out after halftime and took control during the third quarter of their nonconference matchup against DeKalb.
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DEKALB — Third quarters have presented problems in the past for the Rochelle Hub varsity basketball team. That wasn’t the case Friday night, when the Hubs came out after halftime and took control during the third quarter of their nonconference matchup against DeKalb.
With Rochelle upping its help-side defense, DeKalb struggled to find shots around the basket, scoring only eight third-quarter points as the Hubs took the late lead and held on for a 62-55 victory over the Barbs. Rochelle (8-8, 4-1 Interstate 8) held DeKalb to only 35-percent shooting from the field and 27 percent from 3-point range while outrebounding the Barbs 41-25.
“I thought it was a big win for us because it was game that many people didn’t think we could win,” senior Adam Kemp said. “DeKalb has a lot of talent, but I thought we played together and we got the win. I thought we played really solid help-side defense and we limited their shooters from getting open shots. We didn’t want to let their shooters get going at all.”
Senior Noah Brown delivered a solid scoring performance for the Hubs, leading the way with 23 points while converting four 3-pointers and grabbing five rebounds. Kemp and senior Ryan Simmons facilitate the Rochelle offense, with each player notching four assists while combining for 17 rebounds and 13 points in the win. The Hubs held a slim 25-24 lead at the half before outpacing the Barbs 17-8 in the third quarter to take control of the game.
“We need to keep playing together and stay on this roll,” Kemp said. “We’re off to a strong start in the conference and I think we have a chance to win the conference. It should be a fun rest of the season for us. Noah had a great shooting night for us and I think everybody on this team can get hot at any time. When someone’s hot, we have to keep feeding that person.”
The Hubs managed to push the pace Friday evening, outscoring DeKalb 16-4 in transition points while punishing the Barbs with a 13-0 advantage in second-chance points. Senior Tanner Lager finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, while junior forward Raul Aguirre totaled eight points and six rebounds. Darrell Island led DeKalb with 15 points.
