ROCKFORD – The Auburn Knights battled East down to the final buzzer twice this season. The record-setting E-Rabs weren’t in the mood for such drama Friday.

East scored 10 of the first 12 points and cruised to a surprisingly easy 68-35 win over the Knights in the IHSA Class 4A regional final. It was the first regional title for the E-Rabs since 2011-2012.

Chris Burnell, East’s all-time leading scorer, led the E-Rabs with 20 points in his final home game. Sincere Parker, who scored 10 points of East’s 21 points in the first quarter, finished with 19. Sha’den Clanton added 12, including an exclamation point slam dunk with 4:30 left in the game to give East a 66-32 lead.

The win improves East’s record to 31-2. The E-Rabs shattered the school single-season record of 26 wins during the regular season. They are now one win away from tying the all-time RPS 205 record of 32 wins set by Auburn in 2011-2012, Fred VanVleet’s senior year.

East opens the Rock Valley College sectional Tuesday against St. Charles North. The gym opens to the public at 6 p.m. and tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Auburn finished the season 17-15. It was a solid showing for a team whose leading scorer is a sophomore. It was the 13th straight winning season for the Knights under coach Bryan Ott. R.