ROCK FALLS – Just by looking at the smiling face of Rock Falls senior Chevy Bates, it was easy to see that the Rockets were having fun and are more than just mildly excited about the upcoming postseason.

“Tonight was the game right before regionals,” Bates said. “We are all hyped, and we want to win a regional. We are ready.”

After their 57-40 win over visiting Newman on Wednesday night at Tabor Gym, the excitement level at Rock Falls has hit fever-pitch levels despite a 13-17 record. The Rockets will host former Big Northern Conference foe Mendota at 6 p.m. Saturday in a Class 2A Byron Regional quarterfinal.

[ Photos from Newman at Rock Falls boys basketball ]

“We have been doing really well down the stretch,” Rock Falls coach Zach Sandrock said. “These guys are really comfortable playing together, and it’s taken a while to get there, but right now we are where we want to be at.”

Where the Rockets were at in the first half was behind the arc and in the paint scoring points. The quick ball movement and even quicker movements off the ball led to a 32-25 lead at the break. An 11-2 run early in the second quarter highlighted by a Gavin Sands bucket gave the hosts the big early lead.

“One thing we keyed in on was getting out fast and not letting [Newman] get into their defense,” Sandrock said. “They are so good at that. They are a talented team and play real good defense, but we did a really good job of taking care of the ball through stretches tonight.”

Rock Falls (13-17) built upon the lead in the third quarter with an 11-3 burst that took the margin into double figures early in the second half. Bates got the run started with a layup off a perfect pass from Kuitim Heald.

“The most fun part of all this was playing as a team and getting the win,” said Bates, who finished with 12 points and four rebounds. “We have a regional game this Saturday, and we need to keep playing good team basketball.”

Even when Newman (22-9) cut into the margin to start the fourth quarter, Rock Falls had an answer. A bucket by Gabe Padlla (eight points) cut the margin to 43-36 with five minutes left, but the answer this time from the Rockets came in the form of 11 straight points, the last two coming from Aydan Goff. His 14 points led all scorers, and he also contributed three steals and six boards to close out his night.

“We needed to get into the passing lanes and not let them get it inside,” Sandrock said. “We wanted to force it to the outside only and not let them get into an inside-outside kind of game, which they are really good at.”

Newman got a team-best 12 points from senior Nolan Britt, and nine points and five rebounds from junior Lucas Simpson.

“Rock Falls beat us in every aspect of the game,” Newman coach Ray Sharp said. “They deserve all the credit, from the coaching staff through all the players.”