Dixon started off hot from the perimeter and never looked back Friday to advance to the semifinals of its own holiday tournament.

The Duchesses built a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter in a 67-27 win over Aurora Central Catholic in their final pool-play game on Day 1 at the Dixon Christmas Classic.

Dixon (11-1) will face Byron in the semifinals Saturday at 5 p.m.

“We’ve been wanting to start off strong and get that lead so we feel more comfortable in our offense and defense,” said Morgan Hargrave, who hit five 3s and led all scorers with 19 points. “It’s definitely nice being able to have our perimeter game to go with our drive game. Everyone’s shooting the ball really well right now, which is what we need. I think we’re doing a great job running the court and getting those layups or fast 3s, or just making sure we’re there for the kick-outs.”

Dixon was lethal in both transition and its half-court offense, scoring 12 points off steals and 12 points on offensive rebounds to complement its 12 3-pointers. The Duchesses shot 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from deep, and assisted on 17 of their 25 field goals.

All nine players scored and recorded a rebound in the game, and seven different players dished an assist and/or nabbed a steal.

“We all talked about how we have so many threats, so many key players that can score,” Hargrave said. “We have so many people with the ability to affect the game, that can drive or shoot or rebound or play defense. Everyone can do everything, so getting everyone involved is what we’ve been working on, and we did a great job with that tonight.”

Addy Lohse and Reese Dambman combined for the first nine points of the game, then Presley Lappin nailed a 3 and Hargrave hit back-to-back 3s to build a 22-8 lead in the opening quarter.

Long-range baskets by Ahmyrie McGowan, Hargrave and Dambman stretched the lead to 37-17, and Hargrave’s fourth 3 of the half made it 40-20 at the break.

Dambman hit a layup and a 3 to open the second-half scoring, then Hargrave and Dambman later hit 3s to make it 53-25 by the end of the third quarter.

Hargrave, Kiley Gaither, Lohse, Lucy Feick and Abby Hicks scored during Dixon’s 14-2 surge in a running-clock fourth quarter.

“I think that we’ve learned everybody’s position and role, and we’re moving the ball a lot more. We know when we need to speed it up and when we need to slow down and take our time,” Lohse said. “It’s definitely hard not having any bigs, but we did a good job of driving and kicking and finding our open shooters.”

Defensively, Dixon held Aurora Central Catholic (11-4) to 22 percent shooting (9-for-41) from the field and 12.5 percent (2-for-16) from 3-point range – including just 2-for-21 from the field and 0-for-8 from deep in the second half. The Duchesses nabbed 17 steals and forced 22 turnovers, and also held a 42-27 rebounding edge.

“We definitely came out with a lot of energy, and we kept it up,” Lohse said. “We’ve got a new defense this year, and we’re getting into it and getting better with it. It’s different than our previous zones, and it definitely puts the other team in difficult positions and situations.”

Hargrave had five steals and two assists to go with her 19 points, and Dambman hit four 3s and finished with 16 points, five assists and two steals. Lohse had 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, and McGowan added eight points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Gaither chipped in three points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Duchesses.

Sofia Orozco led the Chargers with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Annalyse McCarty added five points, three rebounds and two steals, and Ashley Watter chipped in four points and two assists.

“We’ve been struggling on defense a little bit. I know we’re more than capable, we have the pieces to do it, we’ve just got to keep harping at it,” Aurora Central Catholic coach LeVada Smith said. “Offensively, we were scoring from the short corner and then we kind of just went away from it for whatever reason. We knew they were going to play 2-3 [zone] and a three-quarter-court 1-2-2 [press], and it’s just one of those things that right now, we’re kind of struggling. Half our team is still new this year, and we’re trying to figure it out and put it together.”

• In the first game of Pool A, Dixon defeated Burlington Central 42-38. The Duchesses led 19-6 after one quarter and 31-20 at halftime before the Rockets rallied.

Dambman led Dixon with 15 points, McGowan scored 12, and Hargrave hit three 3s for nine points. Audrey LaFleur led BC with 12 points, and Julia Scheuer scored 10.

Burlington Central bounced back with a 59-54 win over Aurora Central Catholic in the second Pool A game.