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Roncalli falls to Titans in SoDak 16 battle

Aberdeen Roncalli’s McKenna O’Keefe, left, tries to shoot under the basket as Mount Vernon-Plankinton’s Reagan Rus, right, blocks the shot during Thursday night’s SoDak 16 game at the Huron Arena. Photo by John Davis taken 2/29/2024

HURON – Aberdeen Roncalli’s defense kept things close, but the Cavaliers’ offense was unable to provide enough answers Thursday night at the Huron Arena.

Mount Vernon-Plankinton played with a lead nearly the entire way en route to a 46-40 girls’ basketball win during Class A SoDak 16 action. While Roncalli was able to slice an 11-point deficit down to three in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were never able to get over the hump.

“We ended up shooting the ball really well in the fourth quarter and to give ourselves a shot,” said Roncalli coach Derek Larson. “Then we had to kind of play the foul game down the stretch and they made free throws.”

The Titans did not make a field goal in the final quarter, but made 10 of 16 free throws to maintain the lead.

“Roncalli is a really good team. Having that lead and have it dwindle down, our girls could have went in a shell, but they kept on fighting,” said MVP coach Preston Kristensen. “They’ve battled through adversity all year long, so I’m super proud of them for hanging in there, and ultimately it ended up being a defensively battle. I’m happy the way our girls showed up tonight.”

Trailing 37-26 with five minutes left, Roncalli’s offense came to life as Ava Hanson scored in transition, before Claire Crawford and Maddie Huber made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the margin to 37-34 with 2:45 remaining. However, the Cavaliers never had a chance to tie the game as MVP made a free throw on its next trip down the floor to make it a two-possession game, and it never got closer than that the rest of the way.

“It would have been nice to make some more timely shots earlier than what we did, but that’s the way it goes,” Larson said. “At the end of the day, we knew that we had to make shots to win and we didn’t make enough shots, especially early to give ourselves a shot.”

Roncalli managed just six points in the opening quarter and then faced an uphill battle the rest of the night.

McKenna O’Keefe, who led the Cavaliers with 17 points, made a trio of three-point field goals to help keep the Cavaliers within striking distance.

“Coach just told us to shoot when we’re open, and so anytime I was open I just shot it,” O’Keefe said. “Tonight, they were just falling, so I just kept shooting.”

However, the Cavaliers could not keep pace with South Dakota State recruit Emilee Fox. The senior poured in 28 points for the Titans, making shots from all over the place.

“She was good at making shots,” said Roncalli’s Camryn Bain. “We just had to defend her and she kept making them, and we were trying to fight our way back and had to put them on the line to get the ball back.”

Fox made six 3-pointers, many from well beyond the three-point line, most times with a hand in her face.

Aberdeen Roncalli’s Maddie Huber, center right, moves to the ball as Mount Vernon-Plankinton’s Emilee Fox, center left, tries to drive around during Thursday night’s SoDak 16 game at the Huron Arena. In the background are the Cavaliers’ Claire Crawford, back far left and Camryn Bain, back right. Watching for the Titans are Berkeley Engelland, back left and Reagan Fox, back far right. Photo by John Davis taken 2/29/2024

“I thought Maddie Huber did a pretty good job. She guarded her I thought 3 or 4 feet beyond the line … I thought we did a good job in the first half defending her,” Larson said, “and then it just seemed like everything she threw up in the second half went in. That’s why she’s one of the best players in the state.”

That defensive pressure is something that Fox faces each time out, according to Kristensen.

“She’s a focal point when teams play us,” Kristensen said. “Every night she has to put in the work to earn her points, but overall our team’s resilient. They came ready to play and I’m proud of all of them.”

MVP will take on Sisseton in the opening round of the State A Tournament at noon Thursday in Brookings.

Huber and Claire Crawford each had eight points for the Cavaliers, and Hanson finished with seven as Roncalli showed its own resiliency and determination in the setback.

Aberdeen Roncalli’s Camryn Bain, left, tries to lay up a shot as Mount Vernon-Plankinton’s Emilee Fox, right, reaches to block the ball during Thursday night’s SoDak 16 game at the Huron Arena. Photo by John Davis taken 2/29/2024

“We’re hard workers and we wanted the win,” Bain said. “Obviously, we didn’t get it, but we’ll come back next year and win it hopefully.”

Bain led the team with four assists and three steals in her final game for the green and gold.

“We just work together as a team and we just work together as one,” O’Keefe said. “Props to Cam for really stepping up and leading us out there, being the only senior.”

The Cavaliers finished the season with a 19-4 record and made it one step farther than last season when they fell in regional action.

“Last year we finished the year 11-10 and we really challenged the kids after that game, are we going to be a year older or are we going to be a year better? I think we can all say that we’re definitely a year better and finishing the season 19-4,” Larson said. “I’m proud of the effort. Obviously, didn’t get to where we wanted to be, but I don’t think we should be disappointed with our season that we had. We should be proud of the season we had, the growth we made, and hopefully we take that next step next year.”

MOUNT VERNON-PLANKINTON (18-5): Reagen Rus 4 4-10 12, Emilee Fox 7 8-10 28, Kyia Schmidt 2 0-0 6. Totals 13-46 12-20 46.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (19-4): McKenna O’Keefe 6 2-2 17, Maddie Huber 3 0-0 8, Claire Crawford 3 0-0 8, Ava Hanson 3 0-0 7. Totals 15-48 2-2 40.

Mount Vernon-Plankinton 13 22 36 46

Aberdeen Roncalli 6 16 26 40

3-point field goals – Fox (6), Schmidt (2); O’Keefe (3), Huber (2), Crawford (2), Hanson. Total fouls – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 9; Aberdeen Roncalli 18. Rebounds – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 35 (Fox 11, Rus 8); Aberdeen Roncallil 33 (Crawford 8, Hanson 6). Turnovers – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 13; Aberdeen Roncalli 15. Assists – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 5; Aberdeen Roncalli 12 (Camryn Bain 4). Steals – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 9 (Berkeley Engelland 4, Fox 3); Aberdeen Roncalli 8 (Bain 3, O’Keefe 2, Hanson 2).

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