Oakes put an end to Aberdeen Roncalli’s unblemished start to the season with a 66-54 win over the Cavaliers Tuesday night in non-conference boys’ basketball action at the Roncalli Gym.

The Tornadoes never really ran off with the lead, but instead pulled steadily away behind the inside presence of forward Jyles Meier, who finished with 20 points.

Roncalli was missing the services of senior guard Austin Fisher, who suffered a shoulder injury during the holiday break. In his stead, Jesse Hernandez stepped in to fill up the box score, scoring a game-best 30 points, 16 of which came during a third-quarter blitz. Hernandez had three treys in the stanza.

“We’re definitely adjusting to life without Austin,” said Roncalli coach Dan Gallagher. “When we went into the season thinking that we would have that tandem guard combo of Jesse and Austin, a lot of (the offense) was built around that, so it’s going to take some getting used to.”

Still, Gallagher said other players stepped in when needed.

“We just need to make sure that our guys understand that trust, because at times we really look at Jesse to do a little too much,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher credited his team’s defense with keeping the Cavaliers close, particularly when the offense was finding its footing, but also said there’s a learning curve to be had.

“Oakes, I thought, played a really solid game,” he said. “We forced them into some chaos, but at the same time, we over-helped a lot, especially down low on the inside and gave up a lot of easy buckets. That’s one of the things, defensively, I know we need to work on.”

Roncalli will look to get back on track Friday when the Cavaliers play host to Webster. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the Roncalli Gym.

OAKES: Reese Nitschke 5 0-0 11, David Bakke 2 2-2 7, Jyles Meier 9 2-2 20, Braysen Sagert 3 1-2 9, Beau Thorpe 5 0-0 12, Andrew Unden 3 0-0 7. Totals 27 5-6 66.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI: Jesse Hernandez 10 4-6 30, Sam Larson 3 0-0 7, Quinten Shelton 1 3-5 5, Bryson Olson 3 1-2 7, Creighton Fisher 1 0-0 3, Mason Berndt 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 8-13 54.

Oakes 14 26 47 66

Aberdeen Roncalli 8 20 39 54

3-pt field goals – Nitschke, Bakke, Sagert 2, Thorpe 2, Unden; Hernandez 6, Larson, Fisher. Fouled out – Sagert. Total fouls – Oakes 16; Aberdeen Roncalli 11.