Defense has been an emphasis for the Rochelle Lady Hub varsity basketball team under first-year head coach Ryan McQuade. If Thursday's Interstate 8 matchup against Sandwich was any indication, Lady Hub players have bought in on the defensive end.
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ROCHELLE — Defense has been an emphasis for the Rochelle Lady Hub varsity basketball team under first-year head coach Ryan McQuade. If Thursday's Interstate 8 matchup against Sandwich was any indication, Lady Hub players have bought in on the defensive end.
Rochelle held the Indians to only 10 second-half points on Thursday, combining tough defense with a strong fourth quarter to defeat Sandwich 37-25. Freshman Kendyl Darby led the Lady Hubs (6-8, 1-3 Interstate 8) with 10 points, while Dickey followed with nine points and two 3-pointers made. The Lady Hubs limited Sandwich to just three fourth-quarter points.
“I think we’re starting the season off pretty well,” Dickey said. “We’re playing really well as a team. I thought our man-to-man defense worked really well against them tonight, but I also thought we did well with our zone defense. Our help defense was really good as well.”
With Dickey and senior Lucy Bunger leading the defensive charge on the perimeter and 6-foot-1 senior Abby Luxton anchoring the Lady Hubs inside, Rochelle successfully shut down Sandwich 6-footer Claire Allen, who was held to nine points on Thursday. Despite some struggles offensively, Rochelle’s defense forced several Sandwich turnovers and missed shots while creating easy scoring chances in transition. The Lady Hubs led the Indians 20-15 at halftime.
“It’s a big confidence booster for us to win this game,” Dickey said. “We feel more confident as a team when we’re winning more games and I think we play better as a team. I feel that as a senior, my role on the team is to show more leadership and be a leader for the underclassmen.”
Sandwich fought its way back into the game during the third quarter, bringing the Lady Hubs within two points and making the score 24-22 entering the fourth quarter. But Rochelle’s 13-3 run in the fourth quarter, which included a 3-pointer from Dickey and two transition layups from senior Zoey Tabor, allowed the Lady Hubs to seal their first conference win of the season.”
JV
The Rochelle Lady Hub JV basketball team improved to 11-3 overall and 2-2 in the Interstate 8, defeating Sandwich 43-19.
