GROTON – A second-quarter surge by Groton proved to be the undoing for Aberdeen Roncalli as the host Tigers rode that wave to a 41-24 Northeast Conference girls’ basketball victory Tuesday night in Groton.
Roncalli managed just three points in that second stanza, while Groton put 17 on the board. It was enough of a margin to set the table for the remainder of the night.
“(Groton) played really physical,” said Roncalli coach Derek Larson. “They sped us up big time, just in terms of pace. It was hard to slow ourselves down.”
Roncalli’s three points came courtesy of a Claire Crawford 3-pointer. Groton, meanwhile, got 3-point buckets from three different players in the quarter, including Brooke Gengerke, Sydney Leicht and Jerica Locke.
“I felt like we had opportunities,” Larson said. “We just shot ourselves in the foot a lot.”
Larson also noted the first six possessions of the game resulted in turnovers for both teams. The Cavaliers ended the game with 20 turnovers, which, Larson said, did not aid their cause.
“It’s tough to win when you turn it over 20 times,” he said.
Gengerke finished with 15 points for Groton, leading all scorers in the game. Leicht added nine points and Locke tallied seven points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and seven steals.
Roncalli was led by Camryn Bain’s nine points. McKenna O’Keefe finished with eight.
The Cavaliers are now off for the Christmas break and will resume play next Wednesday when they travel to Herreid-Selby Area for a non-conference contest.
ABERDEEN RONCALLI (2-1): McKenna O’Keefe 3 0-0 8, Camryn Bain 3 0-0 9, Maddie Huber 1 0-1 2, Claire Crawford 1 0-0 3, Ava Hanson 1 0-2 2. Totals 9 0-3 24.
GROTON (1-2): Brooke Gengerke 6 0-0 15, Sydney Leicht 3 2-2 9, Jerica Locke 3 0-0 7, Jaedyn Denning 2 0-0 4, Kennedy Hanson 0 2-2 2, Faith Traphagen 2 0-0 4. Totals 16 4-4 41.
Aberdeen Roncalli 9 12 17 24
Groton 9 26 32 41
3-point field goals – O’Keefe 2, Bain 3, Crawford; Gengerke 3, Leicht, Locke. Fouls – Aberdeen Roncalli 8; Groton 12. Rebounds – Groton 26 (Locke 8). Turnovers – Groton 22. Assists – Groton 10 (Locke 4). Steals – Groton 19 (Locke 7, Gengerke 5).
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