Although things were a bit sloppier than she would have liked, Sterling coach Taylor Jackson will take the ‘W.’

The Golden Warriors used stifling defense and a 3-point barrage to cover up some deficiencies Tuesday night in a 62-24 win over Rochelle at Musgrove Fieldhouse.

Sterling (13-3) hit twice as many 3s (15) as 2-pointers (eight), with Jossy James setting a new single-game record with eight 3s; sophomore Brenley Johnson added six more. The Warriors also outscored the Hubs 20-0 in second-chance points while holding a 50-31 rebounding edge.

“Especially with them playing a zone, it opened it all up and allowed us to find the open shooters and hit those open looks,” said James, who finished with 28 points, six rebounds, seven steals and four assists. “And we knew that rebounding was going to be a big thing, and I think we did a great job crashing the boards all-around.”

Sterling started the game on a 20-3 run, with Johnson hitting three 3s and James adding two more in the opening onslaught. They combined to hit three more 3s over the final 4:47 of the second quarter, and the Warriors led 29-11 at halftime.

Jayden Dickey and Audrina Rodriguez helped keep Rochelle (8-9) within 18 through the third quarter, but Sterling opened the fourth with a 13-3 run to turn a 37-19 lead into a 50-22 margin with 5:09 to play.

“Just working together and attacking their zone. We drove to the rim and moved the ball, and that opens up a lot,” said Johnson, who had 18 points, four rebounds and two blocks. “On defense, we were pressuring up high and playing with a lot of energy.”

Sterling was tenacious from the start, as Rochelle hit just one of its first 13 shots and finished 7 for 43 (16.3%) from the field and 4 for 19 (21.1%) from 3-point range. The Warriors nabbed 16 steals and forced 24 turnovers.

“We were causing chaos off the dribble and in the passing lanes, and it allowed us to get that quick lead and go from there,” said James, who was honored before the game for becoming the 10th member of Sterling’s 1,000-point club. She’s the third Warrior to join the group as a junior, and now sits eighth on the all-time scoring list with 1,076 points.

Jae James had six points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals; Joslyn Green finished with four points, 15 rebounds, two assists and two blocks; and Nia Harris added three points, six rebounds and two steals for Sterling. Yvette Stafford buried a 3-pointer at the final buzzer, while Layla Weight grabbed four rebounds and two steals, and Anessa Johnson dished a pair of assists.

The Warriors shot 37.7% (23 for 61) from the field, but made up for 20 turnovers and several missed shots inside by shooting 53.6% (15 for 28) from deep in their fifth straight win, and 11th in their past 12 games.

“They’re a really good team, and their guard play is elite at the high school level; we don’t see a lot of guards like that,” Rochelle coach John Gehm said. “We went in with our game plan, telling our players, ‘They’re going to make passes that we haven’t seen guards make so far this year, and you have to live with that and make the most you can out of it.’

“I thought our girls did a pretty nice job of that, but rebounding has been a problem for us this whole season. We’ll have some decent initial defense inside, but then we’re not boxing out, we’re not getting that rebound, we’re not holding them to one chance. They get those second-chance opportunities, and that’s where teams have killed us.”

Rodriguez led Rochelle with 13 points, five rebounds and five steals, and Dickey added seven points, two assists and two steals. Natalie Foster chipped in four points, three rebounds and two steals, while Mary Chadwick pulled down six rebounds, and Reese Kissack grabbed four boards.

“I told our girls, really up until the fourth quarter, we played with them and frustrated them a little bit, I thought. That’s a really good team that’s really well-coached, and they don’t get frustrated often, but you could just feel that we had some confidence,” Gehm said. “But then of course, they hit a 3-point barrage because they’re a really good team and they’ve got great shooters all over the place. That’s what they’re going to do, and we just didn’t hit shots offensively – and that’s a testament to their defense, too. But you get down by 15-plus against a team like that, you’re not going to win.”