ROCHELLE — Nine unanswered points quickly faded away for the Hubs when Rochelle tried for its seventh straight victory this season with a home matchup against LaSalle-Peru on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers fell down 9-0 to open the game before firing back with 12 consecutive points of their own and forcing Rochelle to spend an early timeout. The Hubs responded with better effort throughout the game, and behind 45 combined points from guards Landan Martin and Garrett Burdin, the Hubs defeated the Cavaliers 70-58 and improved to 11-9 overall.

“I didn’t think our minds were in the right place,” head coach Tim Thompson said. “We started on a 9-0 run and I think the kids thought it was going to be an easy game. They started making mental mistakes and the other team was able to come back. We weren’t being disciplined, and we can’t take any team for granted, especially one that was trying for its first conference win.”

Martin lit the fire for Rochelle in the first half, taking LaSalle-Peru defenders off the dribble and using his mid-range game to sink free-throw-line jumpers and score in the paint. The senior guard recorded 19 of his team-high 24 points over the first two quarters, leading the Hubs to a 35-22 halftime advantage over the Cavaliers.

“Landan has a nice mid-range game and he’s confident when he’s around the block,” Thompson said. “I think he knew that they didn’t have a big enough player to match up with him, and he was able to finish when he caught the ball down there. He does a lot of double-clutching and he holds players off with his body. He’s just really good around the basket.”

Burdin took the torch in the third quarter, draining three triples while reserve guard Mike Schlenbecker stepped up with five points including a 3-pointer of his own. The Hubs opened the second half on a 16-8 run, and they ended the third quarter with five 3-balls made and a 57-37 lead over LaSalle-Peru. Burdin finished the game with 21 points and five 3-pointers.

“I was really proud of Mike,” Thompson said. “He’s a kid who’s been working really hard all year and being a good teammate. He works hard in practice, and we thought that we could give him some run in a game where we had some kids who were sick. He played well tonight.”

LaSalle-Peru didn’t leave the building quietly, though, and despite trailing by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers surged back and eventually made it a 10-point game with roughly one minute remaining. The early hole was too steep to climb, however, and the Hubs ended the game with 10 players scoring at least two points.

Westmont

Seth Gould grabbed the final rebound and pushed the ball up the floor as the Hubs feverishly attempted to keep their winning streak alive against Westmont on Saturday.

Gould threw the ball up to sophomore Ryan Simmons, who then found Garrett Burdin near the 3-point line with only seconds remaining in the game. Trailing by one point, Burdin put up the game’s final shot as the buzzer sounded. While the shot didn’t fall, Burdin was fouled on the attempt, sending the junior guard to the free-throw line with no time left on the clock.

Keeping his nerves in check, Burdin sank both free throws and completed Rochelle’s 64-63 comeback over the Sentinels on Saturday. The clutch freebies extended the team’s winning streak to six games and put the Hubs over the .500 mark on the season (10-9). Burdin scored 16 points for Rochelle, while senior guard Austin Brown led the team with 17 points.

“Seth had a huge rebound and Ryan made a great extra pass,” Burdin said. “I took the best shot I could and one of their players bumped me in the arm… I stepped up to the line in a pretty nervous moment, but those moments are what I work for. It was very exciting.”

The victory was special for Rochelle head coach Tim Thompson, who attended Westmont High School and has looked forward to facing his alma mater for quite some time. The Hubs outscored the Sentinels 25-15 in the third quarter, and the boys overcame a 31-point performance from Westmont forward Qati Dalipi. Free throws were the difference in the game, as the Sentinels missed six of them and the Hubs only missed one.

“I loved that high school so much,” Thompson said. “It was nostalgic to walk into the building and it smelt almost the same as it did about 30 years ago. I’ve been wanting to play them in the regular season, and the game was everything we could have asked for.”

Sandwich

Rochelle went on the road and evened its conference record on Friday with a 58-53 victory over Sandwich behind 17 points from Garrett Burdin and 15 points from Austin Brown. The Hubs outscored the Indians 24-6 in transition points and 16-7 in points off turnovers. Senior Landan Martin forced a team-high five steals in the victory, while Burdin added four steals.

“Getting Seth back has been huge for us and everybody’s playing within their roles,” Burdin said. “We’re really unselfish and the ball is moving so well. Everybody’s making shots and stepping up when it’s their opportunity to make a play.”