Rock Falls builds big lead, beats Rockford Christian

ROCK FALLS – Even without the combined powers of the Fischbach twins, the Rock Falls girls basketball team was able to handle Rockford Christian on Wednesday night.

With Kylie Fischbach on the sideline due to a knee injury suffered in a loss Monday against Winnebago, Karli Fischbach didn’t have her usual backcourt sidekick against the Royal Lions. Karli was still her usual productive self, however, and led the Rockets to a 58-35 victory.

Karli Fischbach finished with 13 points, two steals and two rebounds, but afterward her thoughts were on her twin sister, who sported a bulky brace on her left knee while socially distanced on the Rock Falls sideline. Afterward, Kylie delivered high fives and hugs to her teammates.

“It was pretty weird,” Karli said. “It should have been our Senior Night. We should have been playing together. We should have had a lot of fun on the court. It was unfortunate what happened, but we just had to go out and play for her.”

Rock Falls (7-4, 7-3 Big Northern) finished the second quarter on a 15-0 run to seize a 31-11 halftime lead. Mallory Pinske started it with a pair of free throws, while Bree Morgan hit a jumper just before halftime to cap it off.

Rockford Christian was 0-for-8 from the field in the second quarter and managed just two points in that span, but came out on fire in the second half. The Royal Lions (3-9, 3-7) hit their first three shots from the field to slice the deficit to 14 points (31-17), while the Rockets began the second half 0-for-5.

“It looked like in the third quarter for some reason we didn’t come out aggressive,” Rock Falls coach Eric Wolf said. “We didn’t come out playing hard. That’s kind of what happened against ‘Bago. We’re still trying to adjust without Kylie being there.”

Karli Fischbach (6 points) and Claire Bickett (4 points) teamed up for a 10-2 Rock Falls run, however, to restore order. The Rockets had a working margin of around 20 points the rest of the game.

“I think we were missing those easy shots, those bunnies and 2-foot jumpers,” Karli Fischbach said. “That’s what got us a little rattled. We weren’t knocking down anything the first couple of minutes of the second half. Once we got shots going in the basket, we were good and we could keep pushing.”

Bickett finished with 13 points and seven rebounds for Rock Falls, Pinske had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards, and Abi Peyton chipped in seven points, four steals and four rebounds.

The Fischbachs, Peyton and Ainsleigh Hendrix were honored before the game on Senior Night.

Rockford Christian, after a rough second quarter, was outscored only 27-24 after halftime, and head coach Ted Lawver liked what he saw from his club.

“That’s been our girls all year long,” Lawver said. “They’ve never quit. They’ve always grinded out no matter what the circumstances have been, and they’ve never given up. We continue to make a few mistakes, but we’ve got a young team. If we can eliminate those mistakes and put four quarters together, I think we’ll be up there with the good ones.”

Rylie Colombi and Courtney Park each had nine points for the Royal Lions, while Kaitlin Park added six. Courtney Park also had 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Girls basketball

Rock Falls 58, Rockford

Christian 35

Star of the game: Karli Fischbach, Rock Falls, 13 points, 2 steals

Key performers: Claire Bickett, Rock Falls, 13 points, 7 rebounds; Courtney Park, Rockford Christian, 9 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks