Connor Kimme got fouled in midair coming down after skying high for a defensive rebound late in the second quarter of Kaneland’s game against Rochelle on Friday night in Maple Park.

The senior dusted himself off with the help of his teammates and headed to the other end of the hardwood where he converted a pair of free throws.

It’s just what he does.

“It really comes from my teammates,” Kimme said. “The way they picked me up after I got down, they immediately came running over to me and picked me up. Our coaches do a great job in practice, always working us hard, putting us in aggressive drills and stuff to prepare us for game-like situations, so when we get knocked down we get right back up.”

That explains why there was no hesitation for Kimme to rise high for a putback with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter as the Knights were well on their way to victory, having broken the game open as they cruised to the 92-62 victory over the Hubs.

“Everybody on our team, no one is selfish, no one is trying to get their own,” Kimme said. “We’re all playing to win and that’s what makes us a great team. We’ve all gotten really close off the court, so our team chemistry is on the court. We all know what to do all the time, know how we work and are doing the best to win.”

Kaneland (6-0, 2-0) led 43-28 at the half and extended its lead to 53-28 after opening the third quarter on a 10-0 run.

Rochelle (3-4, 0-2) didn’t get a basket in the second half until Warren Schweitzer scored inside with 2:24 left in the third quarter. It was the first field goal for the Hubs since Van Gerber scored on a drive with 29 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Hubs drilled five 3-pointers in the first half but only had one in the second half when Kasin Avila connected in the final seconds of the third quarter to make it 71-46.

“Our coach told us before the game to pressure them and pick them up, don’t let them get anything easy,” Kimme said. “That’s what makes teams flustered, what makes them out of control and that’s what happened when we were aggressive.”

Kimme was one of four Knights in double figures with 19 points.

Marshawn Cocroft led the way with 25 points, Jeffrey Hassan had 20 and Isaiah Gipson had 10 points off the bench.

“We knew they wanted to run, so we had to figure out ways to defend them and then just be able to score,” Cocroft said. “We knew we’d figure it out. We all know our roles on the team. We know we have to come out and make sure we play hard, play defense and when I have the ball they know I’ll find them. They’re doing their job and getting open and our team chemistry had been good since the summer. We know what each one of us can do.”

Brody Bruns led the Hubs with 16 points. Gerber added 11 points.