Sterling advances to Dixon Christmas Classic semifinals after holding on against Lincoln

Amid an ice-cold third quarter, Sterling sophomore Brenley Johnson provided a spark off the bench.

Johnson’s 3-pointer in the final two minutes of the third quarter was Sterling’s only basket as Lincoln started to make a comeback.

Johnson finished with 11 points as Sterling held on to win 44-38 and win its pool in Friday’s Dixon Christmas Classic matchup.

When she enters the game, Johnson is probably hunting a 3-pointer. She came through in the victory.

The Golden Warriors missed their first nine shots in the third quarter before Johnson’s triple.

“It’s a very big role to play, especially in games where they play zone,” she said. “It’s a fun opportunity to get to shoot with these girls, and they help me get open a lot.

“It’s always fun coming into a game with a lot of energy, and I think that these girls make it a lot easier to play with them.”

After leading Lincoln by 11 points at halftime, the Railsplitters’ defense tightened up. Thankfully for Sterling, Lincoln was nearly just as cold as they had just a 7-3 advantage in the third.

“Their defense got very aggressive,” Johnson said. “They were pressuring us a lot, but we brought the energy and we were able to finish the game.”

Sterling will face Stillman Valley in the tournament semifinals on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Johnson is Sterling’s second-leading scorer at 7.8 points per game this season.

“Her ability to come out and know when she’s got the opportunity to shoot, and shoot it with confidence has just been huge for us,” Sterling coach Taylor Jackson said. “She’s really come a long way as a sophomore.”

Jossy James helped close out the win with seven points in the fourth quarter. She finished with 16 points and was 8 of 11 at the line.

Sterling's Joslynn James eyes Lincoln's defense. The Sterling Golden Warriors played the Lincoln Railsplitters in the Dixon Holiday Tournament at Reagan Middle School in Dixon on Friday, December 26th, 2025. (Brian Hurley)

Sterling had to grind out the win after shooting 14 of 42 (33%) from the field. Lincoln was 11 of 31 (35%).

Sterling’s own defensive effort was key as the shots weren’t falling.

“At halftime we talked about how we need to dial in on our defense” James said, “and I guess that took away from some of our offense.”

To get a win against another defensive-minded team was meaningful.

“It means that we can handle anything that somebody throws at us,” James said, “that’s a different type of defense that we haven’t seen so much.”

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Sterling's Brenley Johnson puts the ball in play. The Sterling Golden Warriors played the Lincoln Railsplitters in the Dixon Holiday Tournament. The game took place at Reagan Middle School in Dixon on Friday, December 26th, 2025. (Brian Hurley)

Sterling coach Taylor Jackson said James played with composure down the stretch.

“Especially in the last minute, she handled the ball well when she knew they were coming for her,” she said. “And I thought she knocked down her free throws when she needed to, so that was really key.”

Sterling will face another tough defensive-minded team in Stillman Valley in the semifinals.

“I think when we say the bracket, we knew that defense was probably going to be the most important part of this,” Jackson said. “I really thought that our girls have handled it well.”

Sterling 63, Rockford Christian 55: Jossy James finished with 29 points and eclipsed 1,000 points for her career. Sterling led 37-28 at halftime. Joslynn Green had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Brenley Johnson scored 14 points off the bench.

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Sterling’s Nia Harris puts up a shot against Rockford Christian Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, at the Duchesses Basketball Christmas Classic. (Alex T. Paschal)