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Kaneland handles Rochelle to reach .500

The once-comfortable lead for Kaneland Friday night was suddenly not so friendly.

But Brett David had the solution for the Knights in Interstate Eight Conference action against Rochelle in Maple Park.

David had a twisting 3-point play with just under three minutes to play to give the Knights the necessary breathing room in an eventual 72-65 victory.

Rochelle had cut a one-time 14-point deficit to five when David, who led Kaneland with 19 points, extended the Knights' lead to 65-57 with 2:58 remaining.

"We were struggling to get stops," said David, a 6-foot-2 senior guard. "We had to get a shot close to the rim. I saw a lane and was fouled."

David also converted four of the Knights' 12 fourth-quarter free throws to keep the Hubs at bay.

Kaneland moved back to .500 on the season at 9-9 while improving to 5-3 in the league.

The Hubs are 11-10 overall and 4-4 in conference play.

The second quarter was essentially the story of the game.

After a high-energy and mutually lucrative first quarter for both teams, the Hubs' three-point lead after eight minutes was lost for good when the Knights scored the first eight points of the second quarter to take a 24-19 lead.

In downing Rochelle for the second time this season, the Knights' doubled up the Hubs 22-11 in the quarter to take a 38-30 lead into halftime.

David duplicated Jamari Meeks' two first-quarter 3-pointers to lead the onslaught.

Bryce Ebert also complemented the Knights' two guards with three conventional field goals in the second.

"Me and my teammates found open shots and started knocking them down," said Meeks, who augmented David with 17 points. "We were moving the ball really well. We played lockdown defense, too."

Landan Martin and Austin Brown both had bountiful second-half performances to fuel the Hubs.

The former scored 14 of his game-high 21 points after halftime.

Like Kaneland, Rochelle had three players in double figures as Brown finished with 16 points and Garrett Burdin added 12.

"Defensively, I felt like we were tired," Martin said of the Knights' second-quarter surge. "We are battling illness and sickness. They just shot the ball really well."

David was in agreement.

"We had a couple good games at Plano," David said of the Knights' holiday tournament. "But this is probably the best game we have played offensively. We shot the ball really well."

The Knights' Will Cushman scored in every quarter in joining David and Meeks fin double figures.

Cushman finished with 10 points, and Ebert narrowly missed double digits with his eight points.

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