Second-half rally lifts DeKalb over RTHS

BY: Russell Hodges
Posted 12/12/16

When the halftime buzzer sounded Saturday evening, it looked like the Hubs varsity basketball team was well on its way to win No. 5 this season. But a furious rally by the DeKalb Barbs in the second half knocked Rochelle off balance, with the orange and b

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Second-half rally lifts DeKalb over RTHS

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DEKALB — When the halftime buzzer sounded Saturday evening, it looked like the Hubs varsity basketball team was well on its way to win No. 5 this season. But a furious rally by the DeKalb Barbs in the second half knocked Rochelle off balance, with the orange and black relying heavily on their physicality and rebounding to upend the purple and white by a score of 67-61.

The Hubs and Barbs ended the first quarter tied 11-11, with seniors Caleb Gould and Landon Griffith combining to score nine Rochelle points. RTHS pressured DeKalb early on, and the boys combined stifling defense with flowing offense to take the lead in the second quarter.

“Our press was working,” head coach Tim Thompson said. “DeKalb was getting fatigued and we shot the ball in the first half really well. We made a lot of 3-point shots in the first half.”
Many of those 3-pointers came from Griffith, who splashed home four in the second quarter to help Rochelle build a seven-point lead and enter the locker room leading 35-28. Gould and senior Kaywan Palmer also chipped in one 3-point shot each in the half.

“Landon played a really nice game,” Thompson said. “He struggled a little bit to get as many shots in the second half but their defense really dictated where we went… He really carried us and kept us with our lead in the first half.”

The Barbs toughened up on defense in the second half, controlling the defensive glass and creating second-chance opportunities on the offensive end while preventing the Hubs from getting many open looks. DeKalb also received a boost from senior guard Michael Mitchell, who scored 13 of his 14 of his points in the second half.

“We got outrebounded on the offensive end… and Mitchell starting shooting the ball well,” Thompson said. “Their physicality got to us defensively… They were pushing us underneath and giving themselves opportunities to get second-chance shots, and when they did they knocked those shots down.”

DeKalb outscored Rochelle 21-9 in the third quarter to take a 49-44 lead, and the Barbs continued their assault on the Hubs in the fourth quarter, with six different players scoring at least one point. Senior Kyle Seebach scored nine of his 18 points in the quarter for RTHS, but Seebach and his teammates combined to go just 1-for-6 from the free-throw line, a flaw Thompson hopes to see erased moving forward.

“We need to make free throws,” he said. “It’s one thing we’ve struggled with immensely the entire year. We’re barely shooting 50 percent from the free-throw line and you’re not going to beat solid teams shooting that poor of a percentage. We also need to go to the free-throw line more… we’re settling for a lot of jump shots.”

Griffith finished the game with a team-high 19 points, while Gould added 13 points. Sophomore Johnny Beck and junior Komla Gati each chipped in four points, with Palmer totaling three points in the loss.

The Hubs fall to 4-3 on the season, and the boys will look to get back on track when they play their first home game of the season against the Geneseo Maple Leafs this Friday at 7 p.m.