DIXON — The Rochelle Lady Hub varsity basketball team will enter the new year on a winning note after a dominant defensive performance against Newman Central Catholic on Tuesday.

Behind three double-digit scorers and a smothering full-court press defense, Rochelle shut down the Comets 57-20 to close out the KSB Dixon Holiday Classic. Freshman Kendyl Darby led the Lady Hubs with 12 points, while senior forward Abby Luxton scored 11 points. Junior Torrin Nantz added 10 points and converted two 3-pointers for the Rochelle offense in the win.

“It was important for us to get a win,” head coach Ryan McQuade said. “We talked before the game about not wanting to finish 0-3 in this tournament and wanting to get a win before the new year. We worked on a lot of things today and I thought our ball movement was a lot better. We came out with our press early in the game and we really took it to them.”

With several seniors including Lucy Bunger, Zoey Tabor and Jordin Dickey anchoring Rochelle’s full-court press, the Comets struggled to dribble the ball beyond the half-court line, with the Lady Hubs deflecting and stealing several errant passes to score easy layups at the basket. Rochelle’s strong defensive start allowed the team to build a 17-4 lead after the first quarter.

“I didn’t come out with the press right away because I wanted to see how we came out in terms of our energy,” McQuade said. “I wasn’t super pleased with our energy at the start of the game, but when we went with the press, we really started to ramp up the pressure and our energy was much better. We were able to take it to them for the rest of the first half.”

The Lady Hubs found success in the painted area during the second quarter, with Luxton hitting multiple low-post shots around the rim and sophomore forward Kennedy Adamski making a trio of mid-range shots near the free-throw line. Adamski finished with a season-best seven points for the Lady Hubs, who led Newman Central Catholic 42-10 after the second quarter.

“I was happy with Kennedy’s performance today,” McQuade said. “She was looking to score and we’ve been talking with her all season about how she needs to look to score when she’s out there. I thought she played with a lot of confidence today and we had a lot of girls who played really well on both sides of the ball today. It was a good feeling to get this win today.”

Rochelle (7-11, 1-3 Interstate 8) continued to pound the paint in the third quarter, with Darby scoring on three post-up opportunities under the basket. The Lady Hubs led 53-18 entering the fourth quarter, where Darby and senior Adriannah Davis-Carter, who finished with six points, each made shots to seal the victory. Junior Miraya Montes chipped in four points in the win.

Eastland

The Rochelle Lady Hub varsity basketball team faced Eastland during its second matchup of the KSB Dixon Holiday Classic on Monday. Despite 12 points from freshman Kendyl Darby and nine points from senior Jordin Dickey, Rochelle fell 51-42 and moved to 6-11 overall with the loss.