Cold shooting stalls Hubs basketball team against Dundee-Crown

Beck, Aguirre lead Rochelle in 59-47 loss

Russell Hodges
Posted 11/21/17

The Hubs varsity basketball team overcame some shooting struggles against Genoa-Kingston this past Tuesday, but the Rochelle boys had a tough time finding the bottom of the hoop when they faced Dundee-Crown in the second round of the Strombom Tournament at Sycamore High School on Wednesday.

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Cold shooting stalls Hubs basketball team against Dundee-Crown

Beck, Aguirre lead Rochelle in 59-47 loss

Posted

SYCAMORE — The Hubs varsity basketball team overcame some shooting struggles against Genoa-Kingston this past Tuesday, but the Rochelle boys had a tough time finding the bottom of the hoop when they faced Dundee-Crown in the second round of the Strombom Tournament at Sycamore High School on Wednesday.

Rochelle scored just 10 points in the first half, and despite making more buckets in the second half, the Hubs were unable to rally from an early deficit, falling to Dundee-Crown by a final score of 59-47. Junior Johnny Beck led Rochelle with 15 points, while senior Angel Aguirre added 14 points for Rochelle (1-1).

“They made it difficult for us to get anything going into the lane,” head coach Tim Thompson said. “Their height dictates that. They can block shots and get rebounds… We played the 1-3-1 against Genoa-Kingston and it worked for us, but we came out against Dundee-Crown and they attacked it well and got a nice lead.”

The game inside the game ignited between Beck and Dundee-Crown forward Gabriel Bergeron, who scored 13 points to lead all Charger players. The two 6-foot-8-inch boys exchanged buckets and blocks all evening long, and each player threw down a two-handed dunk that inspired cheers from both sides of the gymnasium.

“Bergeron’s a senior and he’s been around for a while,” Thompson said. “Johnny’s still getting used to varsity basketball even though he played some last year. He’s definitely a scorer, but some of the intricacies of the varsity game are still coming to him… He’s going to be the guy we have to go to, and it’s going to come quickly for him.”

Jordan Hairston and Brad Stec combined for 23 points to help lead Dundee-Crown, which build up a 23-10 lead over Rochelle at halftime. The Hubs managed to cut the Charger lead nearly in half by the end of the third quarter, though, outscoring Dundee-Crown 17-11 in the quarter to trail 34-27.

“A lot of the guys we have predicate their games around 3-point shooting,” Thompson said. “They’re still adjusting to the quickness of the varsity game and how they have to get their shots off… When we’re grinding so hard to make a basket, everybody wants to step up… Making the extra pass and getting a really clean look is what we’d like to get.”

Seniors Riley Lodico and Noah Mershon teamed up to score 11 Rochelle points, while senior Noah Griffith chipped in four points. Despite holding their opponent under 60 points for the second consecutive game, Thompson said the Hubs will need to find their shooting rhythm if they hope to finish the Strombom Tournament strong.

“Every run we made, we couldn’t make a big shot or come out of a defensive possession,” he said. “We got their lead down to seven, and then they get an offensive rebound and an easy putback… We just couldn’t ever turn it on or get enough shots in a row.”