Song remains same: Warriors overcome slow start, rout rival

It was third verse same as the first and second in the latest clash between Sterling and Dixon boys hoops.

The Dukes put ‘em up early Saturday night at Lancaster Gym. But the bigger, vastly more experienced Golden Warriors eventually pulled away with a 61-35 Northern Illinois Big 12 West victory.

“Our intensity wasn’t full 100 percent at the start,” Sterling senior point guard Jose Knox said. “It shouldn’t be that way. We always know what to expect. I see a lot of heart on Dixon’s side. They never hang their heads.”

Knox led the Warriors with 12 points, and Dixon freshman Matt Coffey led all scorers with 15, all coming on 3s. Two minutes into the second period, the sharpshooter unselfishly passed up the first open look. The Dukes swung it around the perimeter and it found its way back to Coffey via senior Scott Goad, and the protege made good on the look from left of the circle to tie the game at 18.

“The great thing about [Coffey] is he knows when and when not to shoot,” Goad said. “Sterling came in as a fast-paced team, and we wanted to kind of slow them down. If we come down, take the first shot and don’t get the rebound, they’re gone.”

Dixon (1-21, 0-6) again showed some slick ball movement midway through the third as fellow frosh Cal Jarrett bounced a skip pass to the left wing and Coffey splashed another triple.

But what transpired between those two well-run plays was what put the Dukes firmly behind the 8-ball.

Sterling (12-11, 6-2) rattled off a 15-2 run until that second 3-ball fell. After it did, they piled on with a devastating 10-0 surge that made it 43-23 with 2:29 left in the third.

After Cornell Hartz scored seven of his nine points – to Dixon’s eight – in the second period, Knox outscored the Dukes 8-6 in the third. He knifed through the lane, finished with flair and also doled out three assists in the frame.

“What you saw in the last two and a half quarters, essentially, was the aggressiveness of a team that’s all seniors,” Dixon coach Jason Mead said. “They know how to be aggressive, and we weren’t aggressive enough to combat it. They just outrebounded us by a ton. It’s pretty much the same story. We work hard, make mistakes, and teams that are older take advantage of that.”