A big Dixon surge put Rock Falls behind the 8-ball, and in the end it was too much for the Rockets to overcome.

The Dukes took control in the first half, then held off a late Rock Falls’ rally for a 69-61 win in their Big Northern Conference rivalry game Friday at Tabor Gym.

Dixon (10-16, 5-4 BNC) trailed 10-4 at the midpoint of the first quarter, but Brody Nicklaus’ 3-pointer and two post baskets by Beckham Rock around an Armahn McGowan short jumper ignited a 22-2 run over the next 6:07 put the Dukes ahead 26-12 and left the Rockets reeling.

“I think it was just our energy,” Nicklaus said. “We talked a lot about that, how that’s been rough the last couple of games, but we were able to come out tonight in a great environment to play in Rock Falls – it always is – so we were able to use that energy to benefit us. I think that really pushed us through.”

The offense was humming in the first half, as Dixon hit jumpers and repeatedly drove to the basket for open layups. Xavion Jones’ quick first step netted him five layups out of his six baskets, and Nicklaus splashed three 3s on his way to 15 first-half points as the Dukes missed just three shots the entire second quarter.

“Just watching film, we saw how many defense they ran, so we had to adapt to everything. We were running a lot of ball screens, moving the ball and trying to open up those lanes on offense,” Jones said. “And defense-wise, the coaches always have assignments for all of us, and we executed those today.”

Dixon also hit the boards hard, led by Armahn McGowan’s steady presence in the paint all game long. He finished with 10 rebounds and six steals to finish off a 16-point double-double.

“I feel like our energy was a big part of our game, and we just executed really well. We’re a lot more comfortable and confident playing out there together,” McGowan said. “Rebounding was a big key because we took away their second-chance points, and our chemistry really showed tonight.”

Rock Falls (10-20, 3-6 BNC) fought back, using a 13-2 run to cut a 42-29 deficit to 44-42 on back-to-back baskets by Cole Heald – the second one a 3 – to open the fourth quarter. Cole Mulnix was finding space to score inside, and Max Burns was both scoring and creating for his teammates with dribble penetration.

“We were just sharing the ball well, getting everyone involved driving, cutting, looking at dump-offs or kick-outs. We started clicking at the end and were able to work the score back to where it ended up,” Mulnix said. “It’s tough to play from behind all game, especially with a crosstown rival, because it takes a lot more energy when you’re down.”

It was a far cry from a first half that saw the Rockets have half as many turnovers (10) as they had field goal attempts (20), and more miscues than made baskets (9). The early deficit proved to be too big a hole to dig out of.

“We were sloppy with the ball with turnovers, bad passes, just not intentional with the ball. We made mental mistakes, and we’ve just got to be better than that as a team,” Burns said. “At the end, it was just working hard. We got a lot of offensive rebounds and putbacks, found some open shots.

“We’re not going to give up and let the other team win, and we’ve fought all season despite a bunch of tough losses and close games, but we couldn’t catch up tonight.”

With the lead cut to two, Jones, Jakob Nicklaus and Brady Feit hit layups and Brody Nicklaus hit three free throws after being fouled shooting from deep to push the margin back to 53-44 with 5:26 to go. Rock Falls got within four a couple of times down the stretch, but post baskets by McGowan and Jones and Brody Nicklaus hitting 10 of 12 free throws over the final 1:32 iced the game.

He finished with 28 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Jones added 13 points and three rebounds for the Dukes. Rock added six points, three rebounds and two steals.

Burns and Mulnix each scored 18 points for the Rockets, with Burns adding eight rebounds, five assists and two steals, and Mulnix chipping in seven rebounds and three blocks. Heald had 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals, and Owen Mandrell added nine points.