Dukes drop close one on road

Looking for their first conference win, the Dixon Dukes hit the road Friday night and nearly pulled off an upset of LaSalle-Peru.

Leading after each of the first three quarters, the Dukes took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter before falling to the host Cavaliers 61-53.

Dixon hit 10 3-pointers in the game, but L-P’s 16-for-18 shooting from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter made the difference as the Cavs outscored the Dukes 29-16 over the final eight minutes.

Zach Henkel scored 16 points, Hayden Ikens had 12 and Matt Coffey scored nine points, all on 3s, to lead Dixon (1-23, 0-8).

Jens Soderholm had 14 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead the comeback for L-P (10-13, 6-2).

Fulton 60, Morrison 41: Erik Renkes hit 13 of his 16 free throws and scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Steamers to a Three Rivers win at home.

John Widener added nine points for Fulton (4-19, 2-10), which led 34-17 by halftime. Matt Wilkens’ eight points paced Morrison (6-20, 3-10).

Rockford Lutheran 60, Oregon 46: The Crusaders jumped out to a 37-19 halftime lead and never let up, downing the Hawks at the Blackhawk Center.

Jordan Wescott hit three 3-pointers and led Oregon (10-15, 1-10 Big Northern West) with 13 points. Thomas Kopelman and Alex Oates scored 16 points apiece for Lutheran (21-3, 9-2).

Girls basketball

Class 1A Amboy Regional

Annawan 56, Amboy 26: Celina VanHyfte poured in 24 points to lead the top-seeded Indians past the host Clippers in a regional title tilt.

Kaitlyn Liebing led Amboy (14-14) with nine points, and Michelle Fuller added eight. The Clippers trailed 31-14 by halftime and never threatened after that.

Class 1A Eastland Regional

Aquin 49, Dakota 36: The Bulldogs won the rubber match against the Indians, as Sophie Brunner’s 20 points led the way to a regional crown for Aquin (27-4).

The Bulldogs led 23-22 at halftime, then pulled away with a 26-14 scoring edge in the second half. Aleesha Cleaver led Dakota (24-7) with 16 points.

Faith 38, Cornerstone 25: The Falcons cruised into the final four of the ACSI state tournament in Kankakee, jumping out to a 28-7 halftime lead and never looking back.