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Seniors lead Roncalli to win over Florence-Henry

Aberdeen Roncalli’s Claire Crawford, right, dribbles out of the backcourt pressure of Florence-Henry’s Lucy Bloom, Mylee Sumner and Ana Byer during Tuesday night’s game at the Roncalli High School gym. Photo by John Davis taken 2/17/2026

It was only fitting on senior night that a team relied on its three senior leaders for a girls’ basketball win over a team that doesn’t have a senior on its roster Tuesday night at Roncalli Gym.

Eighth-rated Aberdeen Roncalli received major contributions from three senior starters in a 55-41 non-conference victory over Florence-Henry, which has a team comprised mainly of sophomores.

Seniors Rylee Voeller scored 19 points, Claire Crawford added 13, and Morgan Helms finished with five for the Cavaliers. The trio scored every Roncalli point in the third quarter.

“Rylee, probably one of her better games, her season-high for the year, I think,” said Roncalli coach Derek Larson. “Claire finished with 13, I know Morgan hit a 3 and I thought she did some really good things defensively. Happy for the seniors to have their last regular-season home game to be a win.”

The Cavaliers needed a big effort from their seniors, because the Falcons never went away in the contest, always staying within striking distance.

“It got to 15 and then I thought we had a couple of wide open looks, didn’t go in, we don’t do a good job keeping people in front of us, they go down, penetrate, kick for a 3, and hit a couple 3s in a row and then it’s now all the way back to 11 or 9,” Larson said. “It just felt like every time we had a chance to blow it open, they did a good job of having a response.”

That resolve from a young Florence-Henry squad is something that Falcons coach Brooklyn Schulte appreciates.

“We never hang our heads, because we’re playing for something so much more than what’s out on the court,” Schulte said. “We play for an audience of one, and we just have to make sure that that’s how we play, and if we’re ever head-hanging, then we’re not really playing for Christ.”

Roncalli was able to build a double-digit lead in the third quarter, thanks in part to the shooting of Crawford, who scored eight points, six of them coming on a pair of 3-pointers.

“They didn’t really fall in the first half, but I also didn’t shoot a lot in the first half,” Crawford said, “so I came out in warmups and tried to stay loose and not overthink it. I had some good open looks, so might as well let it fly.”

If it wasn’t Crawford hitting perimeter shots from the wing, it was Voeller nailing four 3-pointers from the corner as the Cavaliers put pressure on the Florence-Henry defense.

“That just was a regrouping that we need to do. Our initial stops were great when we got out there,” Schulte said. “They’re great shooters and as long as we get a good contest out there and make those shots difficult, that’s all we can do and all we can ask for.”

Crawford said being part of a team that has multiple weapons takes the pressure off of everyone to have a big night.

Aberdeen Roncalli’s Rylee Voeller, left, puts up a three-point shot as Florence-Henry’s Lucy Bloom, center, defends and Roncalli coach Derek Larson, right, looks on during Tuesday night’s game at the Roncalli High School gym. Photo by John Davis taken 2/17/2026

“It’s one of the best parts about playing here,” Crawford said. “It’s a big part why individuals can succeed so much, but also why it’s not one person every single night.”

Florence-Henry sophomore Ashlynn Vavruska said the Falcons just need to communicate while on defense.

“We just gotta talk, about shooters, where they’re at, everything,” she said, “and box out.”

The future looks bright for the Falcons, who have just two juniors on the team, and start five sophomores. Schulte said the players have shown growth all season.

“This season we’ve gained so much valuable experience and we’ve grown so much in our basketball IQ,” Schulte said, “and these girls are just learning how to play with each other at this level. … I give them a lot of credit because they’re learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and what works and what doesn’t against each team.”

Vavruska, who led the team with 12 points, was pleased with how her squad competed against a top team on the road.

Florence-Henry’s Ashlynn Vavruska, center, tries to drive past Aberdeen Roncalli’s Grace Cogley, left and Kadince Glynn, right, during Tuesday night’s game at the Roncalli High School gym. At far left the Falcons’ Lucy Bloom sets a screen on Roncalli’s Karsyn Davis. Photo by John Davis taken 2/17/2026

“We’re proud of ourselves,” she said, “like the score, we kept up with them the whole time.”

And like her coach, Vavruska is excited about what the future holds for the team.

“I think we’re going to be a really good team when we’re older,” Vavruska said. “We’re just growing.”

Lucy Bloom added 11 points to the Florence-Henry total.

Roncalli, 15-4 on the campaign, closes out the regular season on the road against Deuel on Thursday.

The Cavaliers produced one more memory for the seniors before next week’s postseason gets underway.

“A lot of good memories in this gym,” Crawford said. “It’s going to be weird not playing next year.”

FLORENCE-HENRY (9-10): Addison Byer 2 0-2 4, Ashlynn Vavruska 5 0-1 12, Ana Byer 3 0-2 6, Lucy Bloom 4 0-0 11, Taylor Vavruska 2 0-0 4, Avari Gusso 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 0-5 41.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (15-4): Elyana Roach 2 0-0 4, Morgan Helm 1 2-2 5, Claire Crawford 5 0-0 13, Karsyn Davis 1 0-0 2, Rylee Voeller 7 1-1 19, Kadince Glynn 1 2-4 4, Genevieve Bain 1 0-0 2, Grace Cogley 3 0-2 6. Totals 21 5-9 55.

Florence-Henry 9 17 29 41

Aberdeen Roncalli 12 25 40 55

3-point field goals – A. Vavruska 2, Bloom 3; Helms, Crawford 3, Voeller 4. Total fouls – Florence-Henry 11; Aberdeen Roncalli 9. Turnovers – Florence-Henry 10; Aberdeen Roncalli 6.

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