The Lady Hubs varsity basketball team contained Ottawa standout Angelique Cowan for most of Friday night’s game against the Lady Pirates, but while the purple and white managed to slow down one of Ottawa’s top talents, Rochelle fell just short of victory on its home court.
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ROCHELLE — The Lady Hubs varsity basketball team contained Ottawa standout Angelique Cowan for most of Friday night’s game against the Lady Pirates, but while the purple and white managed to slow down one of Ottawa’s top talents, Rochelle fell just short of victory on its home court.
With stellar defense from seniors Morgan Baker and Cesca Vardman, the Lady Hubs held Cowan to just six points after three quarters of action. Ottawa found other ways to attack Rochelle, though, and behind 15 points from Teegan Guerrero and 14 points by Molly Harris, the Lady Pirates held off Rochelle by a final score of 53-44.
“We pushed the ball extremely well and we spread out their defense,” head coach Tony Rowan said. “We just need to do a better job of sliding behind them and showing our hands. As soon as we get better at that, I think we’ll create more open shots for ourselves. Right now we’re hesitating a little bit on offense.”
Baker and Vardman combined for seven points in the first quarter, and the Lady Hubs held a 13-9 lead at that point before junior Abby Lundquist and senior Jacie Wyatt teamed up for nine Rochelle points in the second quarter. Rochelle and Ottawa traded baskets toward the end of the quarter, and the Lady Hubs entered the locker room at halftime up 25-24.
But a difficult third quarter swung the momentum of Friday’s game into Ottawa’s hands. While Guerrero ignited from 3-point range, Harris continued to punish the Lady Hubs with close-range jumpers and layups near the base line. The Lady Pirates outscored Rochelle 14-5 in the third quarter to jump ahead 38-30.
“They scored the first two buckets and I think that took the wind out of our sails,” Rowan said. “We came out more stabilized after a timeout, but we just need to make sure that we come out with red in our eyes and that we play with an aggressive mentality instead of thinking, ‘Oh no, it’s going to happen again.’”
Baker hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Rochelle remain close with Ottawa, and the senior finished the game with a team-high 15 points. Lundquist scored 12 points and Wyatt had eight points and several blocks underneath the basket, but the Lady Hubs (2-5, 0-1 NIB-12 West) were unable to dig out of their late hole. Rochelle will face DeKalb at home on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
