ROCHELLE — Kara Martinez was eager to return to action after missing several games with an injury. The senior guard returned to the lineup and made a trio of huge shots on Thursday, when the Rochelle Lady Hub varsity basketball team hosted Belvidere North in nonconference play.

Despite a scoreless showing in the first half, Martinez delivered in the second half for the Lady Hubs, converting a pair of 3-pointers as well as a mid-range shot for eight of her 10 points in Thursday’s game. The senior guard’s efforts helped the Lady Hubs snap an eight-game losing streak, as Rochelle silenced the Blue Thunder for a 55-45 victory. Rochelle (4-9, 0-3 Interstate 8) will return home on Saturday afternoon for a nonconference game with Genoa-Kingston.

“It felt incredible to come back from my injury and help my team the way I did,” Martinez said. “I owe it all to them and I’m so happy that I was able to help them and finish the game on a strong note instead of a weak note. My coach talked to me at halftime and told me to relax. When I hit my first shot in the second half, I realized that I’m as good as I was before my injury.”

Senior Alivia Henkel sparked the Lady Hub offense in the first quarter, knifing through the Belvidere North defense and finishing multiple close-range shots at the rim. Henkel scored a game-high 25 points for the Lady Hubs, who trailed 15-13 after the first quarter. Blue Thunder center Brooke Bottcher was the catalyst for Belvidere North, drilling two first-quarter triples while forward Samantha Adams added another 3-pointer to keep the Blue Thunder in the lead.

The Rochelle defense stifled Belvidere North in the second quarter, holding the Blue Thunder to six points on only one made field goal and a trio of free throws. With the Lady Hubs closing out possessions on defense and junior Kendyl Darby doing work in the interior, putting home a pair of low-post baskets, Rochelle managed to take a 23-21 lead over Belvidere North at halftime.

Darby and Martinez each knocked down third-quarter triples for the Lady Hubs, who limited Belvidere North’s leading scorer Bottcher to just three points in the second half. With Henkel playing tough defense against Bottcher, Rochelle slowly grew its lead, which stood at 37-32 entering the fourth quarter, where Henkel spearheaded the team’s strong finish with four layups. Martinez and senior Sydney Tabor also cashed in fourth-quarter triples to ice Rochelle’s win.

“We’re really connected as a team and we bond a couple of times each week,” Martinez said. “We’re together all of the time and that’s what makes a team. We’ve lost to a few teams in our conference, but I truly believe we could’ve beaten those teams. We’ve had a few bad days, but I believe that our team is good enough to finish first in the conference and win a regional.”