ROCHELLE — One could make the claim that a few unfortunate bounces were enough to decide an overtime thriller Friday evening, when the Rochelle Lady Hubs celebrated Senior Night before taking on LaSalle-Peru in an exciting Interstate 8 Conference battle at RTHS.

Holding a three-point lead with under 10 seconds remaining, Rochelle appeared poised to send its seniors off with a home victory. But the Cavaliers had other plans, as LaSalle-Peru ran one final play for junior guard Emma Jereb, who launched a contested 3-pointer that bounced on the rim multiple times before falling through the hoop to send the Interstate 8 matchup into overtime.

It was the sixth triple of the night for Jereb, who led all players with 18 points and whose team held Rochelle to just two overtime points as LaSalle-Peru handed the Lady Hubs a tough 50-45 loss. As the overtime period neared its conclusion, Rochelle (8-20, 1-8 Interstate 8) had a shot to take the lead, but a 3-point attempt from junior guard Carmela Bright went halfway down the hoop before bouncing back out. LaSalle-Peru held Rochelle without a field goal in overtime.

“The girls fought and they wanted that game so badly,” head coach Jon Gehm said. “They did enough to earn that win and it just didn’t happen tonight. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way and they made a 3-pointer on a play where I thought we played pretty good defense. It’s heartbreaking for the girls, but at the same time, we have to be able to turn it around.”

Jereb singlehandedly fueled the Cavalier offense in the first quarter, burying a trio of triples, all from the left elbow, to help LaSalle-Peru build a 16-10 lead over the Lady Hubs. In a defensive battle that saw the Cavaliers alternate between 2-3 and 1-2-2 zone schemes, Rochelle found a way to even the score at halftime, with Bright knocking down two 3-point shots in rhythm at the top of the arc to give the Lady Hub offense a boost. Bright totaled eight points in the game.

Senior forward Abby Metzger put home a pair of low-post baskets in the third quarter for the Lady Hubs, whose interior defense played a large role in shutting the LaSalle-Peru offense down. Although the Cavaliers found some success breaking Rochelle’s press, the Lady Hubs didn’t allow LaSalle-Peru starting forward Brianna Ruppert to make a field goal in the game.

“I thought we fought and we crashed the boards really well,” Gehm said. “We were aggressive and I think that when we’re aggressive, that’s when we’re at our best. Initially, I thought we were a little slow against their zone, but I thought we picked it up in the middle. Towards the end of the game, we were a little passive. We turned down some open shots and we weren’t getting the ball inside. We allowed them to sit there on defense and we lost our tempo and rhythm.”

The game remained tied, 31-31, entering the fourth quarter, where junior guard Jaydin Dickey ignited a late run from the Lady Hubs that allowed Rochelle to take as large as a four-point lead in the final minutes. Dickey, who led the Lady Hubs with 13 points in the game, drilled two clutch triples and made four of her six free throws down the stretch as the Cavaliers looked to foul.

But LaSalle-Peru’s zone was just enough to slow down the Lady Hubs, who didn’t make a 2-point field goal in the fourth quarter or overtime. The zone was particularly effective against senior forward Kendyl Darby, who finished with seven points on five free throws and just one made field goal in the opening quarter. Metzger recorded nine points for the Lady Hubs, who will return to the court with a nonconference road game against Sandwich on Monday evening.

Rochelle welcomed in a large crowd for Senior Night. The team honored each of its five seniors in a pregame ceremony at the conclusion of the JV game. This year’s senior class includes Payton Cesarone, Abby Metzger, Riley Doyle, Kendyl Darby and manager Makayla Ludwig. 

“We’re very grateful for them,” Gehm said. “Kendyl has been an exemplary person in our program who has shown what it’s like to be a Lady Hub. Abby steps up and gets better every single year. Payton and Riley have both had good senior years and I’m very proud of them.”