MITCHELL – A furious finish could not overcome a frustrating start for Aberdeen Roncalli Saturday afternoon.

The Cavaliers fought back from a 14-point deficit heading to the final quarter before succumbing to Elk Point-Jefferson 47-42 during the Hanson Girls’ Basketball Classic at the Corn Palace.

Roncalli faced an uphill battle after falling behind 18-4 in the first quarter.

“Give the girls a lot of credit. There was time where we could have easily folded. … I thought we did a good job coming back,” said Roncalli coach Derek Larson. “They played so much more physical than we played in the first two and half quarters. We decided at the end of the third quarter, middle of the third quarter, that hey, we’re kind of done being pushed around a little bit. I thought we did a much better job just being physical and kind of dictating some things instead of letting them dictate the whole pace and the whole flow of the game.”

The Cavaliers eventually whittled the deficit down to 41-40 with 1:30 remaining. However, the Huskies were able to run some clock before converting to make it a two-possession game.

“They ended up making a a shot on the baseline which was just a huge shot for them,” Larson said.

The Cavaliers still had a chance, and got a good look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer, that rimmed out.

Roncalli, which had its six-game winning streak snapped, played much better in the second half.

“We just decided to play and decided to play free. Made some shots and got some big defensive rebounds and scores on the other end,” Larson said. “Everyone is saying well why couldn’t you have played like that early, and I don’t have that answer. I wish I did.”

In Roncalli’s two losses so far this season, the Cavaliers have faced large deficits early before battling back.

“It would be nice to not dig ourselves into a giant hole to start the game,” Larson said.

EPJ, now 8-1 on the season, had four players score at least eight points in the contest.

Maddie Huber led Roncalli with 13 points. Ava Hanson and McKenna O’Keefe contributed 11 and nine, respectively.

The Cavaliers, 7-2 on the season, are still undefeated in Northeast Conference action and have two NEC games on the near horizon. Roncalli hosts Tiospa Zina on Tuesday before playing at Clark-Willow Lake on Thursday. Hamlin is also unbeaten in conference play, while Groton, Milbank have lost just once in the league.

“There’s a lot of good conference opponents we still have left to play,” Larson said.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (7-2): McKenna O’Keefe 3 2-2 9, Maddie Huber 3 5-6 13, Rylee Voeller 2 0-0 5, Ava Hanson 3 4-6 11, Gabby Thomas 1 0-0 2, Karsyn Davis 1 0-2 2. Totals 13-41 11-16 42.

ELK POINT-JEFFERSON (8-1): Kaitlyn VanRoekel 2 6-6 10, Ashley Brewer 3 1-2 8, Bentlee Kollbaum 4 3-3 11, Cera Schmitz 4 2-2 10, Courtney Brewer 2 1-2 5, Makinley Hammitt 1 0-0 3. Totals 16-38 13-15 47.

Aberdeen Roncalli 4 17 25 42

Elk Point-Jefferson 18 30 39 47

3-point field goals – O’Keefe, Huber 2, Voeller, Hanson; Brewer, Hammitt. Total fouls – Aberdeen Roncalli 16; Elk Point-Jefferson 15. Rebounds – Aberdeen Roncalli 24 (Hanson 6); Elk Point-Jefferson 27 (Brewer 6). Turnovers – Aberdeen Roncalli 8; Elk Point-Jefferson 13. Assists – Aberdeen Roncalli 8; Elk Point-Jefferson 8 (Brewer 4). Steals – Aberdeen Roncalli 4; Elk Point-Jefferson 6.