Girls Basketball: Team effort lifts Lady Hubs over Indian Creek

Rochelle overcomes Heiman's 30-point night to win 63-48

Russell Hodges
Posted 12/10/19

It seemed like Indian Creek standout Brooke Heiman was going to take over the basketball game when the Timberwolves faced the Rochelle girls Tuesday evening. But a collective effort from the Lady Hubs thwarted Heiman’s 30-point outburst and snapped the team’s three-game losing streak.

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Girls Basketball: Team effort lifts Lady Hubs over Indian Creek

Rochelle overcomes Heiman's 30-point night to win 63-48

Posted

ROCHELLE — It seemed like Indian Creek standout Brooke Heiman was going to take over the basketball game when the Timberwolves faced the Rochelle girls Tuesday evening. But a collective effort from the Lady Hubs thwarted Heiman’s 30-point outburst and snapped the team’s three-game losing streak.

Three Rochelle players finished in double figures for the first time this season including Sofia Lenkaitis, who scored a team-high 17 points as the Lady Hubs defeated Indian Creek 63-48 and improved to 2-7 overall. It was the first home victory of the winter for the Rochelle girls, who received 15 points from Zoey Tabor and a season-best 14 points from Josie Lundquist.

“It definitely boosts our confidence,” Lundquist said. “We definitely figured out our offense tonight. We moved the ball well and we defended them well. We’re close and we play like a team. We know what we can do and we hold each other accountable. I was able to get out there and do what’s best for the team.”

Heiman scored Indian Creek’s first seven points of the game and helped the Timberwolves start on a 7-2 run before Rochelle turned the nonconference contest around. Tabor attacked the basket throughout the first quarter, scoring nine points on a free throw, two layups and a 3-pointer off the glass to help the Lady Hubs enter the second quarter ahead 18-11.

While Heiman was tough for Rochelle to stop, Indian Creek struggled to find offense elsewhere. The Lady Hubs limited the Timberwolves to only two points in the second quarter on a pair of free throws from Heiman, who had 11 points at halftime as Rochelle led the Timberwolves 33-13. Lenkaitis sunk two 3-pointers in the second quarter, following up a strong performance against Stillman Valley on Monday, when she converted three 3-pointers.

“This win really boosts our confidence,” Lenkaitis said. “We played like a team and I think that really helped us out. I’ve been practicing my shooting a lot, and I think our ability to work together allowed us to pass the ball around and create good shots.”

The third quarter was Lundquist’s time to shine, as the sophomore pushed the pace and used some nifty low-post moves to score seven points and keep the Lady Hubs comfortably ahead. Trailing 49-31 entering the fourth quarter, Heiman took over for the Timberwolves, using high screens to sink three straight 3-pointers and bring Indian Creek within single digits.

But the one-woman army wouldn’t be enough for the Timberwolves, who had no other players reach double figures Tuesday evening. Seven players entered the scorebook for the Lady Hubs including Bella Lodico, who made two 3-pointers and finished with nine points.