ROCHELLE — After starting Western Sun play at 0-6, an old friend was just what the Rochelle basketball team needed to reverse its fortunes.

The Hubs (7-12) defeated former NCIC conference mate Dixon, 67-54. The win snapped a 4-game losing streak for Rochelle, which last won against Streator, another NCIC team.

The Hubs also got a boost from guard Andy Wilkinson, who described his play in the previous three games as “bad.” Wilkinson was benched to start the game, but ended up shooting 4-for-5 from 3-point range to lift the Hubs from a 29-23 halftime deficit to a 49-39 third-quarter lead.

“I’ve finally got my mojo back,” said Wilkinson, who had an off-balance 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer for part of his game-high 21 points.

“Andy had a great second-half, especially after not scoring last night,” Rochelle coach Russ Zick said. “I also thought Kyle Furman had a good floor game, Evan Tracy did a lot of little things for us and Ben Schwartz is back to rebounding.”

Rochelle needed a team effort to counteract the 19-point, 14-rebound, 7-blocked shot, 4-steal and 1-lost tooth performance by Dixon’s Matt Ross.

The 6-6 Ross collided with Wilkinson on a steal attempt, and lost a tooth after hitting the floor.

“We won the boards in the first half, but stopped taking care of the ball in the second half,” Dixon coach Justin Remington said.
Rochelle had only six turnovers, its lowest total of the year, while Dixon (4-13) had 14.

“Their full-court pressure was as tough as we’ve seen this year,” Remington said.

“We needed a win in the worst way,” said Zick, who notched his 450th career win. “In the first half, it looked like we forgotten how to win.”

With the victory, Rochelle will likely be seeded ahead of the Dixon in the Sterling regional, avoiding what appears to be a play-in game with Rockford East.

- Andy Colbert, rrstar.com