After two tough losses, the Aberdeen Roncalli Cavaliers found themselves back in the win column Thursday night at Roncalli Gym.

Roncalli walked away with a 70-37 Northeast Conference boys’ basketball win over Sisseton in a game where the Cavaliers were able to pull away in the second half, something that was absent in their last two games.

“A lot of close losses, a lot of ones where we kind of fell apart in the second half,” said Cavaliers coach Dan Gallagher. “So being able to come out with a strong second half compared to our first half was really important for us.”

The Redmen were the ones who struck first with the help of Dana BraveBull, who put up the first seven points to give Sisseton a spark. However, the visitors still found themselves down by 12 points at the end of the first quarter.

“It was good for a change. We’re still down by 12 at the end of the first,” said Redmen coach Jared Groos. “We’ve really struggled out of the gate, and he gave us a lift tonight.”

Part of the reason the Cavaliers found themselves up by a dozen at the end of the opening quarter was due to their efficiency from beyond the arc with five 3-pointers made in the first quarter, three coming from junior guard Jesse Hernandez.

“Jesse Hernandez led the way with four big threes, three in the first quarter. He’s a shooter. We know that we got great shooters in him and Aiden (Fisher) and (Sam) Franks and (Sam) Larson,” said Gallagher. “We trust those guys to shoot. When they’re on, they’re on and it can be scary. It’s always good to see the ball go through the net and just builds confidence for them moving forward.”

Roncalli maintained its 12-point lead heading into the halftime break.

The Cavaliers broke the game open in the third, outscoring Sisseton 19-4.

“What really turned on was our defense. I thought we gave a really good effort,” said Gallagher. “Guys started hitting some big shots, got the ball to the basket, got to the free-throw line. Which if you can get to the free-throw line consistently, it’s gonna help win ball games.”

Fisher made three trips to the free-throw line in the third quarter, shooting 5-for-6, and finished 7 for 9 on the night.

“Once I got down low, they started fouling me. I could get to the free-throw line much easier,” said Fisher. “I just get in my mind, I can go by them, they’ll hand check me and I’ll get to the free-throw line, since they had a quick five fouls in the third quarter.”

With a 50-23 lead heading into the final quarter, the Cavaliers were able to get just about all of their players into the game, with 12 of them getting into the scorebook.

“It was awesome. We have eight seniors and a couple don’t get to see the floor as much, but all eight seniors got in the scoring column,” said Gallagher, “12 or 13 guys scored tonight so it’s cool to see. Those guys work so hard at practice to make our other guys better that they deserve their rewards, too.”

The Redmen didn’t give up, scoring 14 points in the final quarter.

“The guys have competed hard all year,” said Groos.

BraveBull topped Sisseton with a dozen points.

Franks led Roncalli with 17 points, Fisher followed with 14, and Hernandez finished with 12.

After a couple of tough losses, the Cavaliers, 4-5 on the season, are back on track.

“It feels great. Coach Gallagher said we’re stacking up wins as we go,” said Fisher. “It’s just the start of our run.”

Roncalli will host Tiospa Zina Tuesday in a girls-boys doubleheader, while the Redmen will compete in the Flandreau HOF classic on Saturday.

SISSETON (1-5): Levi Nelson 1 1-2 3, Bradley Hanson 0 1-5 1, Hayden Hellwig 0 2-2 2, Jeremias Perez 2 0-2 4, Dana BraveBull 5 1-2 12, Brett Hansen 1 4-4 6, Gage Hanson 0 2-4 2, Derrick Flute 2 2-4 7. Totals 11 13-27 37.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (4-5): Jesse Hernandez 4 0-0 12, Aiden Fisher 3 7-9 14, Sam Franks 6 3-6 17, Brody Weinmeister 2 0-0 5, Parker Grieben 1 1-2 3, Cam Olson 1 2-2 4, Sam Larson 1 1-2 4, Austin Fisher 1 0-0 2, Bryson Olson 1 0-0 2, Jackson Lewno 1 0-0 2, Tom Niederbaumer 1 0-0 2, Danny Schumacher 1 0-0 3. Totals 23 14-21 70.

Sisseton 10 19 23 37

Aberdeen Roncalli 22 31 50 70

3-point field goals – BraveBull, Flute; Hernandez 4, Fisher, Franks 2, Weinmeister, Larson, Schumacher. Fouled out – BraveBull; Olson. Total Fouls – Sisseton 20; Aberdeen Roncalli 22.