Sterling advances to sectional final against Dixon, ties team wins record

ROCKFORD — Sterling is peaking at the right time.

The Golden Warriors used dominant first and third quarters to beat Crystal Lake Central 62-30 in Tuesday’s Class 3A Boylan Catholic Sectional semifinal matchup.

Following its ninth straight win, Sterling (29-5) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 and tied the single-season program record for wins set in 1979.

Sterling will face Dixon, which beat Kaneland 40-30, at 6:30 p.m. in Thusday’s sectional final. Sterling won the matchup 44-18 earlier this season.

Tuesday, the Warriors led 26-4 after the first quarter and kept a double-digit lead throughout the victory.

“We knew that if we came into it strong that we could get this win,” Sterling’s Jae James said. “But we weren’t overconfident.”

Sterling was sharp but played loosely as every starter scored in the first quarter. Madison Austin scored 10 of her game-high 22 points in the first eight minutes. Jae James scored 12 and Joslynn James added 11.

“As soon as one girl on our team hits that first shot, it just gives us that extra energy,” Jae James said. “We build off of each other’s energy.”

The momentum snowballed as Sterling quickly built its lead.

The Tigers (22-10) started to claw their way back in the second quarter with a 17-11 advantage, but the climb was too steep.

CLC junior Ruby Macke had 15 points at halftime but was limited to 19 for the game. She scored 43 points in a game earlier this season.

“We knew Sterling was going to be a tough opponent and they came out with a ton of energy,” CLC coach Joe Capalbo said. “[They] just got a lot of momentum going early on. I thought we did a nice job rebounding.

“Just a tough environment to start the game.”

Sterling’s crowd and student section in particular helped feed the momentum as the Tigers had 17 turnovers in the game.

Sterling was able to empty the bench with over six minutes left as a running clock was enforced.

“I think their press got to us right away,” Capalbo said. “We’ve kind of all season struggled with teams that decide to press us. With their speed and quickness, it was challenging.”

Capalbo said Sterling is especially challenging led by the 6-foot-3 Illinois State recruit Austin surrounded by four quick guards.

“We decided to take [Austin] away and make the perimeter girls beat us,” he said. “And they did.”

Austin said the team was confident. It showed.

“We started off really good,” she said. “We kind of slowed down, but we’ve just got to keep that up the whole time.”

Sterling coach Taylor Jackson said her team is fully committed to what she wants it to do.

“They believe in what we want to do and I think they came out and they executed that from the get-go today,” she said. “They started off in a phenomenal way with so much energy and that was just a great start for our group.”

Sterling continues to play as a unit. Delali Amankwa scored five points and Nia Harris added six with nine rebounds.

“We’ve got 16 girls, and they’re all locked in to making this happen,” Jackson said.

With a shot to set the program record for wins and earn its first sectional title since 2007, Sterling continues to knock off goals.

“It feels incredible,” Jae James said. “And it’s very well deserved for how hard we work every day.”

The Tigers graduate two seniors in Leah Spychala and Hadley Ferrero.

“We graduated eight seniors last year and really only had one girl come back. I don’t think a lot of people thought this team was going to do what we did,” Capalbo said. “I think we overachieved this year and I’m super proud of everything they did.”

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Crystal Lake Central's Leah Spychala (left) and Sterling's Nia Harris go after a loose ball during their Class 3A sectional semifinal game Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford. (Mark Busch)