With the game on the line, Morgan Fiedler rose to the challenge on both ends of the floor.

The senior guard made the game-winning basket with 14 seconds left, then played lock down defense to prevent a potential game-winning attempt in the final seconds as Aberdeen Roncalli nipped Sisseton 53-51 Friday night at Roncalli Gym.

The top-rated Cavaliers improved to 11-1 on the season following the hard-fought Northeast Conference girls’ basketball victory.

“This is what we live for,” Fiedler said. “We live for these competitive games and this what we want, because this is what makes us better.”

With the game tied at 51-51 all, Fiedler drove to the right side of the basket for a short baseline jumper. The Northern State recruit knew the game was far from over. Fiedler then got out on Sisseton sharp-shooter Hannah Leverson so that she did not have a good look at a last-second attempt.

“I just knew I had to keep my hand up. I knew it was going to come to her,” Fiedler said. “I had to go over the top of that screen. I couldn’t let her shoot that three and get the game-winner.”

Chances are Leverson would have made that attempt, because she made most of her shots all night on the way to a game-high 20 points.

“For a sophomore, she is a hard guard,” said Roncalli coach Derek Larson. “Man, she shot it well tonight. I thought we did a pretty good job staying in front, but she has one of the quicker releases I have seen in girls’ basketball.”

She was part of a three-point shooting barrage in the opening half that saw Sisseton make seven three-pointers on the way to opening a five-point cushion.

“They could not have shot it better I don’t think in the first half. They had seven threes first half. Holy cow,” Larson said. “They really came out on fire and we maybe didn’t defend the three well enough, but I could not imagine seeing more threes go through the net than what they made in the first half.”

The visitors eventually built the lead to 38-28 in the third quarter and had a chance to take control, but came up empty on several transition opportunities. While Sisseton still led by quarter’s end, Roncalli was right in contention and took momentum into the final period.

“We just have to clean up a couple of things,” said Sisseton coach Sara Lincoln. “The third quarter is always rough for us.”

Roncalli cranked up its defensive intensity and took a 46-40 lead only to have Sisseton battle right back.

Olivia Hanson keyed the Cavaliers’ run with big plays on both ends of the floor on the way to scoring 14 points and hauling down a team-leading seven rebounds.

“She’s our energy person,” Larson said. “Whenever we need a big play, it seems like she’s always in the midst of it, whether it’s defensively or offensively, getting key offensive rebounds and putbacks, or just playing her tail off on the defensive end. We always know that she’ll be up for that every night.”

Roncalli played most of the game without center Madelyn Bragg because of illness, but the rest of the Cavaliers came up big, including the final sequence by Fiedler, who finished with 17 points.

“Down the stretch you could tell she really wanted the ball in her hands,” Larson said of Fiedler. “We definitely leaned on her heavy as the game went on.”

Tara Nelson added 12 points for Sisseton, slipped to 8-2 and had its eight-game winning streak snapped.

Roncalli plays at Tiospa Zina at Monday, before it hosts Clark-Willow Lake at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Roncalli Gym as part of a girls-boys doubleheader.

SISSETON (8-2): Hannah Leverson 8 0-0 20, Emmalee Nielsen 3 1-2 8, Veronica Rice 2 0-0 4, Hailey Nelson 0 2-2 2, Tara Nelson 4 0-0 12, Krista Langager 2 1-3 5. Totals 19-48 4-7 51.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (11-1): Madelyn Bragg 3 0-2 7, Morgan Fiedler 8 1-1 17, Jeci Ewart 2 2-4 7, Olivia Hanson 5 4-8 14, Ella Hanson 3 0-2 6, Ava Hanson 0 2-2 2. Totals 21-51 9-19 53.

Sisseton 15 31 38 51

Aberdeen Roncalli 15 26 36 53

3-point field goals – Leverson 4, Nielsen, T. Nelson 4; Bragg, Fiedler. Total fouls – Sisseton 13; Aberdeen Roncalli 13. Rebounds – Sisseton 34 (Nielsen 9); Aberdeen Roncalli 30 (O. Hanson 7). Turnovers – Sisseton 18; Aberdeen Roncalli 13.