ROCHELLE — LaSalle-Peru point guard Brooklyn Ficek converted three triples during the third quarter of the Rochelle Lady Hub varsity basketball game against the Cavaliers on Monday. Ficek was one of three LaSalle-Peru players to reach double figures, leading the Cavaliers with 16 points in their 54-40 win over the Lady Hubs. Rochelle fell to 2-6 overall with the loss. The Lady Hubs will continue conference play at Kaneland on the road Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m.

The Lady Hubs held LaSalle-Peru’s athletic guards at bay in the opening quarter, rallying behind senior forward Alexis Sanford, who patrolled the paint offensively with five points on a pair of low-post baskets and a free throw. Cavalier senior Lauren Klein found her rhythm in the second quarter, breaking a 12-12 tie with a 3-pointer and scoring eight of her 15 points in the period.

“Alexis comes into practice with a positive attitude every day and she’s always ready to work,” head coach Tony Rowan said. “She’s only gotten better over the past few years with us.”

Leading 25-19 at halftime, LaSalle-Peru broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Hubs 21-12 behind Ficek’s aggressive 3-point barrage. Senior guard Sofia Lenkaitis did her best to keep Rochelle within striking distance, knocking down two corner triples and adding a pair of baseline mid-range shots for 10 of her team-high 16 points in the Interstate 8 battle.

“They were being the aggressors tonight,” Rowan said. “They looked to create turnovers and I felt we were a bit more relaxed. We need to do a better job of coming out and being ready to attack. I thought Sofia did a great job of moving without the basketball and that’s a key for her. She’s our point guard and she’s a leader in that way, but if she can get some misdirection and relocate before releasing her shot, she’ll find her spots like she did for us tonight.”

Cavalier guard Lauren Phillips scored all eight of the fourth-quarter points for LaSalle-Peru, sinking two 3-pointers to preserve the Cavalier lead. Junior Adriannah Davis-Carter finished with one of her best offensive performances of the season for Rochelle, scoring eight points including four in the fourth quarter on a free-throw line jumper and a pair of free throws. The Lady Hubs were without junior starter Zoey Tabor, who was sidelined due to a hand injury.

JV

The Rochelle Lady Hub JV basketball team faced LaSalle-Peru on Monday, falling 46-38 and moving to 1-6 on the season. Freshman Alivia Henkel led the Lady Hubs with 18 points on nine made field goals, while sophomores Torrin Nantz and Grace Luxton each added five points. Freshmen Sydney Tabor and Kennedy Adamski both recorded four points in the loss.