Defensive adjustment, free throws lift L-P pver Rochelle

After Rochelle scored 28 points in the second quarter to take a halftime lead Monday, the La Salle-Peru boys basketball team made a few adjustments at the break.

“There was a lot of running in the first half,” L-P coach Jim Cherveny said. “We talked at halftime about how we had to start spreading out to find their shooters instead of sprinting to the lane to find then big man. We started flaring out toward then perimeter and made them dribble then ball up instead of throwing the ball down the sideline.

“I thought we adjusted well and had a good second half plan.”

With the adjustments, the Cavaliers held the Hubs to 11 points in the third quarter, hit 12 free throws to help them build a double digit lead then held off a late rally to earn a 73-63 victory in an Interstate Eight Conference game in La Salle.

“We played a great game,” L-P senior Tyler Hartman said. “We were battling some minor setbacks. We have a few guys out. Rochelle kept it close in the first half and even had a lead going into half. We battled some adversity. We rallied a little bit at half, came out and put together a great second half. We got the job done late. It was a great team performance.”

Junior Michel Jereb sparked L-P’s 26-point third quarter with a three-point play followed by a 3-pointer on the Cavs’ first two possessions to give L-P the lead back.

“Michael has been a sparkplug for us,” Cherveny said. “The last couple games, he’s stepped up. He made some big shots and had a couple and-ones. The nice thing about Michael is he’s a great kid, a hard worker and he keeps trying to improve every day. Michael never takes a day off. The fruits of his labor have been showing the last two or three games.”

Senior Drake Weber drained a 3-pointer, Hartman scored seven consecutive points and Weber hit a pair of free throws to push L-P’s lead to 51-44.

The Cavs capitalized when Rochelle was whistled for two technical fouls less than a minute apart.

With 2:41 left in the third, Weber notched a three-point play then made 1-of-2 technical shots. At the 1:47 mark, Jereb hit a pair of free throws before Weber sank two from the line to give L-P a 59-47 lead going to the fourth.

“Free throws have always been a big staple of ours,” said Hartman, who finished 5-of-6 from the line. “When you’re making free throws, the game moves along a lot more smoothly and you’re a lot more comfortable. Everything sets in a little easier. When you’re missing free throws, it’s a little more difficult and you feel a bit more awkward at the line, so it’s big when you’re able to make a few in a row and get in a little rhythm.”

The Cavs pushed their lead to as many as 16 points in the fourth before the Hubs started to chip away.

Rochelle scored on four consecutive possessions to cut its deficit to 67-61 with 3:11 left then added a fastbreak bucket with 1:02 left to make it 68-63.

From there, the Cavs made 5-of-6 free throws in the final 51.3 to close out the win.

“I was really happy with how we finished the game,” said Cherveny, whose team made 27-of-33 free throws compared to 3-of-5 for the Hubs. “We don’t practice on Sundays, so coming off a day without practice against an extremely competitive and skilled Rochelle team, I thought we finished well securing the basketball. We were making them foul us toward the end. More importantly, we made some free throws when we had to.”

Weber led L-P with a game-high 33 points, Hartman scored 13 points, Jereb finished with nine points and John Riva added eight.

The Cavs (8-3, 6-1 I8) now play three road games in six days — at Sycamore on Wednesday, at Ottawa on Friday and at Kaneland on Monday.

“We had three or four last week on the road,” Cherveny said. “I don’t know if anything affects these guys. I think we’re made for it. We’re excited to get Sycamore again. We’re excited to see Ottawa again. I think we’re playing good basketball right now even with some of the setbacks we’ve had as far as personnel. I see it as a challenge, but I think it’s a challenge we’re all up for.”