In a game where shots weren’t always falling, Aberdeen Roncalli found its best offense to be its full-court defense.

The Cavaliers hounded Aberdeen Christian from baseline-to-baseline to build a big lead, lost some momentum, then went back to the defensive ploy on the way to a 52-19 non-conference girls’ basketball victory at Roncalli Gym.

“I think that we really need to set the tone with our defense,” said Roncalli junior Camryn Bain. “Shots don’t always fall. Today they didn’t as much as they did against Miller (Tuesday night).

Roncalli jumped the Knights on every occasion in the opening quarter, pressing even after missed field-goal attempts. That allowed the Cavaliers to grab a 20-2 lead after the first eight minutes. Bain made a pair of three-point field goals to help lead the team’s half-court offense.

However, when Roncalli backed off its full-court pressure in the second quarter, the Christian offense came to life. Chloe Bosma scored nine points in the period as the Knights cut the deficit to 12 points at one stage.

“We gave up a lot of dribble drive the second quarter,” said Roncalli coach Derek Larson. “We gave up too much dribble drive and that’s how she scored most of her points.”

So Roncalli decided to jump start its effort in the third quarter by going back to the full-court press and it resulted in a 18-1 blitz that put the game firmly out of reach.

“Our first quarter obviously was really good, up 20-2 going into the second, and we back off and don’t play full court and I felt like we just kind of let down,” Larson said. “We didn’t have the same energy after we didn’t go full court. That’s why we had to go back to it after they made a run.”

Low-scoring quarters have been an issue for the Knights all season. They had one earlier in the week against Ipswich as well.

“It’s the same situation over and over,” said Knights coach Cristian Martinez.

Of course, Roncalli’s defense definitely had something to do with that as the Cavaliers made life difficult for Christian ballhandlers.

“They showed their toughness,” Martinez said of the Cavaliers.

Ava Hanson led Roncalli with 15 points, Bain finished with 11, and Claire Crawford added eight.

Again, Roncalli’s best offense turned out to be its defense.

“Our full court definitely set the tone for our offense,” Bain said.

Bosma powered the Knights with 12 points and eight rebounds.

“She’s been carrying the team the whole season,” Martinez said. “I told her when I took her out of the game, ‘I appreciate everything you do. There’s nothing else you can do. You’re working hard.'”

Christian plays host to Langford Area on Tuesday in its final regular-season home game at the Civic Arena.

Roncalli takes on Warner in the final game of the Warner Classic on Saturday.

“They’re an athletic group. A group that’s been around for a long time,” Larson said. “A lot of starters have played for the last 2-3 years. We’ll have our hands full Saturday.”

The Cavaliers have now won back-to-back games after three straight losses, so they would like to keep the momentum going.

“We had kind of a low,” Bain said, “so now having two wins is hopefully going to help us win our next three and be ready for regionals, and hopefully state.”

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (1-17): Sophia Eichler 1 0-0 2, Sophia Fogarty 2 0-0 5, Chloe Bosma 5 1-3 12. Totals 8-25 1-3 19.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (9-8): Camryn Bain 3 3-4 11, Maddie Huber 1 2-2 4, Claire Crawford 2 3-4 8, Ava Hanson 6 1-2 15, Morgan Helms 2 0-0 4, Ava Danielson 1 2-2 5, Rylee Voeller 2 0-0 5. Totals 17-55 11-14 52.

Aberdeen Christian 2 16 17 19

Aberdeen Roncalli 20 32 50 52

3-point field goals – Fogarty, Bosma; Bain 2, Crawford, Hanson 2, Danielson, Voeller. Fouled out – Fogarty. Total fouls – Aberdeen Christian 11; Aberdeen Roncalli 7. Rebounds – Aberdeen Christian 33 (Bosma 8); Aberdeen Roncalli 22 (Huber 6). Turnovers – Aberdeen Christian 44; Aberdeen Roncalli 16.