Eight consecutive points to open the first quarter highlighted the Rochelle Lady Hub varsity basketball team’s season finale against the Dixon Duchesses on Thursday evening.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, below, or purchase a new subscription.
Please log in to continue |
ROCHELLE — Eight consecutive points to open the first quarter highlighted the Rochelle Lady Hub varsity basketball team’s season finale against the Dixon Duchesses on Thursday evening.
Seniors Kara Martinez and Loretta Atkinson each buried 3-point shots to fuel the Lady Hubs early in the game, where Rochelle held an 8-0 lead over the 22-win Duchesses. Despite the hot start, however, the Lady Hubs were unable to hold off the talented Dixon squad, which closed the first quarter on a 15-2 run that sparked a 52-37 victory over the Lady Hubs. Rochelle (12-17, 2-8 Interstate 8) will host Plano in the IHSA 3A Regional Quarterfinals on Saturday at 6 p.m.
“I think our theme recently has been coming out with hot starts,” head coach Jon Gehm said. “Unfortunately, we tend to have a letdown against good teams, but the energy coming out was great and the girls felt confident in themselves. We just can’t have those letdowns.”
Dixon turned the tide of the game with its three-quarter-court press, which generated deflections and several Rochelle turnovers that resulted in layups and extra possessions. The Duchesses also threw the ball inside to 6-foot-1 forward Hallie Williamson, who put home four low-post baskets in the opening half to ignite the Dixon offense. Williamson finished with a game-high 16 points for the Duchesses, who commanded a 31-18 lead over the Lady Hubs at halftime.
Although Rochelle fell behind by double figures and trailed by as many as 17 points in the second quarter, the Lady Hubs fought back and brought the Duchesses within single digits in the third quarter, where sophomore guard Jaydin Dickey caught fire from the 3-point line. Dickey drained three triples in the third quarter and finished with four for the game, scoring a team-high 14 points for the Lady Hubs, who remained behind 43-31 after three quarters of play.
“We talked during halftime about getting better angles for our passers,” Gehm said. “We made sure that we had someone in the middle and we looked to the middle, to the sideline and to the opposite. We did a better job of that in the second half and that led to better results. Ultimately, it came down to us doing what we’ve done all year and that’s taking care of the ball.”
While the Lady Hubs lost the game, Rochelle drilled seven 3-point shots and will look to remain hot from the perimeter during Saturday’s regional matchup against Plano. The Lady Hubs will play as the No. 6 seed and the host team, while the Reapers will enter as the No. 8 seed in the regional tournament. The winner will face No. 2 seed Rockford Boylan on Monday night.
“I feel a lot better about going into the regional after tonight’s game,” Gehm said. “We fought against a really tough Dixon team that’s a 20-plus-win team for a reason. We competed and I think that if we bring that same energy against Plano, I’ll like where we’re at. Plano has a good shooter who likes to have the ball in her hands and she’s always confident. Plano teams are always scrappy and we’ll have to bring it on Saturday. We’re playing for our basketball lives.”
Atkinson finished with 11 points and three 3-pointers made in Thursday’s game against Dixon, while junior Abby Metzger totaled four points and junior Kendyl Darby chipped in three points.
