FORRESTON — The Lady Hubs varsity basketball team showed no signs of slowing down when the Rochelle girls took on Morrison this past Tuesday in the fifth and final round of the Forreston Thanksgiving Tournament.

Looking to bounce back from a tough loss against Winnebago, the Lady Hubs outscored Morrison 24-11 in the first quarter Tuesday evening, and the purple and white enjoyed one of their best offensive performances of the season in a 64-32 victory over the Lady Fillies. The win bumped Rochelle’s overall record up to 2-3.

“We used our athleticism and we created a lot of steals and turnovers,” head coach Tony Rowan said. “We turned those into points, whether they were on layups or putbacks after missed shots. The kids really pushed hard throughout the game and I’m really proud of what they did.”

Rochelle’s 13-point lead in the first quarter ballooned to 18 points at halftime, with the Lady Hubs leading Morrison 38-20. Slow starts have plagued Rochelle over its first few games this season, but the Lady Hubs were able to ignite early and cruise to victory. Rochelle shot 47.1 percent from 3-point range in the game, and junior Abby Lundquist led the girls with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting with three 3-pointers made.

“We were sharing the basketball a lot and we were making plays easier for each other,” Rowan said. “We’ve had the mind set of taking on two defenders which is going to leave somebody wide open. The kids really embraced that during the Morrison game and they shared the ball extremely well.”

The Lady Hubs remained fast in the third quarter, outscoring Morrison 19-8 to hold a commanding 57-28 advantage. Senior Morgan Baker scored 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting for Rochelle, while senior Cesca Vardman stepped up with 14 points as well. Vardman went 3-for-4 from 3-point land to lead the Lady Hubs from the perimeter.

“She plays at a very high rate of speed and as the season goes on, she’s going to have more and more control,” Rowan said. “She’ll be able to finish around the basket and her speed is where we want her to be. Sometimes we’ll ask her to slow down, but as long as she learns control with her speed, she’ll be put in positions to succeed.”

Senior Alex Ferrari chipped in five points and two steals for Rochelle on Tuesday. Senior Jacie Wyatt added four points and two steals, with juniors Cam Turner, Mya Latta and Makenna Ferrari combining for five points. Seniors Faith Roush and Allysa Harding each totaled two points.

While Rochelle turned in an all-around offensive game, the Lady Hub defense generated 17 steals and held the Lady Fillies to nine offensive rebounds. Rochelle will face Kaneland on the road Tuesday, Nov. 28.

“They were one-and-done on a lot of their shots,” Rowan said. “We did a good job boxing out and securing the ball. We limited them to a lot of one-and-dones which allowed us to push the ball offensively. As long as we can keep teams off the offensive glass, we’re in good shape.”