Dundee-Crown overtakes Rochelle in 2nd half
Lance Huber's message to his team at halftime was simple.
"I just told them that the game was going to be won on the defensive end and we didn't do very well on defense in the first half and we had to get to that a little bit in the second half," Huber said.
The message resonated with his Dundee-Crown Chargers. They held Rochelle scoreless for more than 5 minutes to start the second half while completing an 18-0 run that carried them to a 64-51 victory in the opening game of the Leland G. Strombom Tournament in Sycamore.
Joshua Raby had 26 points and 7 rebounds for the Chargers in the season-opener for both teams.
D-C trailed 32-24 late in the first half. An old-fashioned 3-point play by Kennon Cook, his only points of the game, started the Chargers' comeback. D-C then scored 15 in a row to open the third quarter, taking a 42-32 lead.
Counting Cook, 7 different players scored during the run. Meanwhile, the Hubs missed 6 straight shots while turning it over 4 times.
After Rochelle got within 50-46 in the fourth quarter, the Chargers answered with a 12-2 run to put it out of reach. Raby scored 11 points in the final period.
"I thought last year probably from February on he might have been our best player," Huber said. "He really picked it up and he picked it up tonight where he left off last year."
Kyle Huber added 9 points, Jack Michalski 8, Brad Stec 7, Trayvon Hatcher 6 and Damarion Butler 5 for the Chargers.
Rochelle's Johnny Beck created matchup problems for the Chargers. The 6-foot-8 senior could score inside but also step back and drain 3s. He finished with 23 points including three 3-pointers, and added 8 rebounds. He made 6 of 6 free throws in the fourth quarter to keep the Hubs in it.
Rochelle led for most of the first half, with D-C leading only at 2-0 and 14-13 following a Raby 3-pointer. The Hubs shot 50 percent for the half.
Stec grabbed 7 rebounds and Hatcher 5 as the Chargers held a 35-27 edge on the boards.
The Chargers next play the host Spartans on Wednesday.