Basketball Game Preview: Plano Reapers vs. Rochelle Hubs

Plano is 2-8 against Rochelle since December of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Plano Reapers are taking a road trip to challenge the Rochelle Hubs at 7:00 p.m. Plano is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last ten games.

Last Wednesday, Plano took their game with ease, bagging a 56-27 win over Harvard. The Reapers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 24 points or more this season.

Plano found their leader in sophomore Chloe Rowe, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds. That's the most points Rowe has posted since back in December of 2023. Josie Larson was another key player, going 5 of 11 en route to 14 points and three steals.

Plano smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 35 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Rochelle was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They took a 55-43 hit to the loss column at the hands of Rockford Christian. While losing is never fun, the Hubs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 387th, while the Royal Lions are ranked 165th).

Plano's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-3. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points per game. As for Rochelle, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-16.

Things could have been worse for Plano, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 52-33 loss to Rochelle when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Can Plano avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.