STILLMAN VALLEY — A tough first quarter hurt the Rochelle Hub JV basketball team during its season-opening contest against the Stillman Valley Cardinals on Friday. Despite 13 points from David Gerber and 10 points from Forrest Gerber, Stillman Valley defeated Rochelle 40-35.

“It’s been roughly 340 days since our last game,” head coach Josh Johnson said. “We were thrilled to be back in the gym. We didn’t think we would have this opportunity, but we have a chance to play and get our legs underneath us. There’s a lot of excitement from the kids.”

Owen Dunseth spearheaded the charge for Stillman Valley, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the opening quarter to give the Cardinals a 17-9 lead early. David Gerber carried the scoring load in the first half for the Hubs, sinking five free throws and totaling 11 points during that span. Forrest Gerber converted two 3-pointers and recorded all 10 of his points in the second half.

“We played really hard and our defense really improved from the start of the game to the end,” Johnson said. “We talked about making adjustments and the kids picked it up. We have smart players and even though we didn’t make too many shots, it was our first game in a long time. We have to keep improving every game because it’s a short season with only 14 games.”

Junior Cooper Hasz totaled six points, while sophomores Griffin Ohlinger, Landon DeLille and junior Jason Riddell combined for six points in the game.