ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Lady Hubs and Morris Redskins each saw their standout players take over during the second half of their Interstate 8 Conference matchup on Friday evening.

Rochelle senior Alivia Henkel carried the load for the Lady Hubs over the final two quarters, where she scored 17 of her team-high 24 points. On the other end, Morris sophomore standout Landrie Callahan exploded in the second half for 19 of her team-leading 24 points. Both players did their part, but with the Redskins receiving complementary scoring efforts from Lily Hansen and Layken Callahan, who combined for 26 points, Morris held off the Lady Hubs 65-55.

“Morris spread us out during the second half and we weren’t getting as many deflections from our 1-2-2 zone as we needed to,” head coach Jon Gehm said. “They were throwing those skip passes around and they found [Landrie] a couple of times. They also used good screens and got her rolling to the basket for some layups. Those two Callahan sisters are a lot to handle.”

Eager to snap a six-game losing streak and secure their first conference win of the season, the Lady Hubs broke off a 7-2 run to start the opening quarter Friday evening. Rochelle’s strong start was sparked by a pair of field goals from sophomore guard Jaydin Dickey, who made her presence felt in place of injured starter Kara Martinez. Morris was undeterred, however, rallying back to take an 11-10 lead after capitalizing on missed shots and turnovers from the Lady Hubs.

“I thought we came out a little slow,” Gehm said. “Our defense has to carry us and our pressure has to be what creates offense for us. We were a little lethargic during the first half, but I thought we made some plays on the perimeter toward the end of the first half. I thought we picked our energy up in the second half, but Morris made shots and we have to give them credit.”

Junior Kendyl Darby finished a pair of tough dribble-drives at the basket during the second quarter, where the forward scored four of her 11 points and helped Rochelle maintain pace with the Redskins. Senior Sydney Tabor also swished the first of her two 3-pointers in the game, allowing the Lady Hubs to stay within striking distance of Morris, who led 25-21 at halftime.

The Redskins began pulling away during the third quarter, where Landrie Callahan caught fire from the floor, sinking several shots including a pull-up triple and a pair of mid-range shots. The sophomore scored 13 of her 24 points in the third quarter, allowing the Redskins to command a 46-39 lead entering the fourth quarter, where Henkel ignited to jump-start the Lady Hub offense, pushing the ball in transition for layups and using her dribble-drive ability to draw Morris fouls.

“We ran the floor in the second half and that’s where I think Alivia does a really good job,” Gehm said. “We talked with Alivia about letting the action come to her in the half court and we know she wants to do a lot for this team. She was patient tonight and she attacked when the ball found her. I thought that tonight was the best she played this season on the offensive end.”

Henkel compiled 16 of her 24 points in the second half, with 10 coming on three made field goals and four made free throws in the fourth quarter. Despite a valiant effort, Rochelle was unable to complete its comeback, as the Callahan sisters combined for 14 fourth-quarter points to help seal the Morris victory. Junior forward Abby Metzger finished with eight points for the Lady Hubs (3-8, 0-2 Interstate 8), who will face Ottawa on the road Wednesday evening.