ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Hubs had a tall order, literally, as they looked to slow down two brothers in 6-foot-7 forward Freddy Hassan and 6-foot-9 forward Jeffrey Hassan during their Interstate 8 Conference varsity basketball game against Kaneland on Friday evening.

The Knights dominated the opening quarter, building a 21-7 lead behind the tandem of Freddy Hassan and former Aurora Christian guard Marshawn Cocroft, who led all players with 19 points as Kaneland rolled over Rochelle 62-36. Cocroft and Hassan combined to score 15 in the first quarter for the Knights, who saw both Hassan brothers throw down two-handed dunks at different points in the game. Freddy Hassan finished with 16 points on eight made field goals.

“Kaneland can beat you in all facets of the game,” head coach Tim Thompson said. “When they have a point guard who’s so dynamic, understands the game and is a willing passer, it changes everything. They lost an All-State player last year in [Troyer] Carlson who could really shoot it, but [Cocroft] is an elite guard who runs their offense and their guys respond to him. When they have that kind of height, they can do it at all levels and they’re going to be tough to beat.”

Although the Knights took control early in the game, Rochelle found success on defense during the second quarter, when the Hubs switched from man-to-man to zone. With Jeffrey Hassan on the sideline for most of the quarter, Kaneland struggled to penetrate off the dribble, as the Hubs (1-6, 0-2 Interstate 8) were able to take away loose balls and force tie-ups on the interior.

“It’s something that we want to have in the back of our pocket,” Thompson said. “We want to play fast and press, but we knew that wasn’t going to be a recipe to keep us in this game, so we tried to use the zone the best we could and it worked at times. They didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but they have very good offensive rebounds and it’s tough to keep them off the boards. It’s also tough to rebound out of a zone when we don’t find guys to put bodies on.”

Kaneland carried a 35-17 halftime lead into the third quarter, where sophomore forward Brody Bruns did his best to keep the Hubs in the mix offensively. Battling against a pair of taller forwards, the 6-foot-5 Bruns drew three shooting fouls and went 4-for-5 on free throws in the quarter. Bruns finished with 15 points, 13 of which came over the second and third quarters.

“I thought our kids fought,” Thompson said. “They wanted to be here tonight and I thought their hearts were in the right place… I thought Brody attacked and did some good things tonight. I didn’t think our kids were intimidated. Van [Gerber] went up against an All-State guard and only had the ball ripped from him one time. We learn by playing good teams like Kaneland.”

Despite their efforts, the Hubs were unable to cut into the Kaneland lead, which remained between 15 and 20 points for most of the second half. Senior guard Carson Lewis finished with nine points and junior guard Van Gerber added eight points for the Hubs, who will return to action at the E.C. Nichols Holiday Classic in Marengo next weekend. Rochelle will face Richmond-Burton on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. in the opening round of tournament play.