Brody Bruns soared through the air for a big rebound during the final moments of the Rochelle Hub varsity basketball game against Genoa-Kingston on Wednesday evening.
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ROCHELLE — Brody Bruns soared through the air for a big rebound during the final moments of the Rochelle Hub varsity basketball game against Genoa-Kingston on Wednesday evening.
It was the team-leading 15th rebound of the night for the 6-foot-5 sophomore forward, who capped off a 24-point effort with a pair of free throws in the final second to help the Hubs hold off the Cogs 86-81 and snap a five-game losing streak. Bruns scored 15 points in the second half and showed toughness down the stretch, playing through a bloody mouth in the fourth quarter.
“We hustled and we fought until the end,” Bruns said. “The first one is always the hardest one and hopefully we’ll be able to win more from here. Coach [Thompson] told us at the start that we were taller and stronger than them. Our goal was to get the ball down low and that’s how we were able to run away with it at the end... Coach [Thompson] told us at the beginning of the year that we’re a team that’s going to run up and down the court and score a lot of points.”
After scoring just 32 points in a road loss against Dixon on Monday, Rochelle’s offense finally came alive during the second half on Wednesday, when the Hubs poured in 54 points to take control of their nonconference matchup against the Cogs. One of the catalysts on the Rochelle side was senior guard Elijah Harley, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and drained a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Hubs maintain a healthy lead.
“It’s always good to come home and get our first win at home,” Harley said. “We had a great crowd come out tonight and we definitely play with more confidence when we’re at home… My teammates were making great passes and I felt confident shooting the ball. My coaches had confidence in me and I was able to knock down shots and make some layups. We like to play fast and when we’re able to get going and make shots, we have all the confidence in the world.”
Rochelle (1-5, 0-1 Interstate 8) almost let its lead slip away in the final moments, as the Cogs had a chance to tie the game after guard Marcus Johnson drew a foul behind the 3-point line with Genoa-Kingston trailing by three points. But Johnson, who scored a game-high 35 points and nailed two triples late in the fourth quarter, missed all three of his free-throw attempts, with the All-Conference forward Bruns rebounding the intentional miss to seal the Rochelle victory.
Senior guard Carson Lewis finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Hubs, who trailed 34-32 at halftime. Junior guard Van Gerber totaled 14 points including six in the fourth quarter, where Gerber beat Genoa-Kingston defenders off the dribble twice for a pair of layups late in the game. The Hubs went 10-for-14 on free throws in the fourth quarter, with Bruns going 5-for-6. Rochelle will return to the court with a home game against Kaneland on Friday evening.
