STERLING – Things were uneasy in the Rochelle locker room at halftime of the Class 3A Sterling Regional final, even with an eight-point lead. Next door, the Sterling Golden Warriors were just plain mad.

After struggling on the offensive end throughout the first half Thursday, the Golden Warriors used big runs in both the third and fourth quarters to beat the Hubs 47-44 and claim their second straight regional championship.

“I never felt comfortable, never thought we were in complete control,” Rochelle coach Kay Dobbs said. “Even up 8 at halftime, we still knew we were in for a battle, because Sterling’s too good a team to just go away.”