FAULKTON – Second-rated Aberdeen Christian began a big week of action with a big opening half effort in a boys’ basketball win over Faulkton Tuesday night.

The Knights, 8-0 on the season, were clicking on all cylinders in racking up 49 first-half points on the way to 77-38 Lake Region Conference victory.

“I was happy with our focus and effort tonight,” said Christian coach Matt Rohrbach. “I thought we were locked in right away, which allowed the bench to come in and play with a lot of rhythm and offensive flow.”

While the starters set the tone, the Christian bench also had a key role in the victory. The Knights received 30 points from reserves, led by Joey Johnson who finished with a career-high 11 points.

The Knights never trailed in the contest and used a 13-0 run that started late in the first period to take control. Jackson Isakson keyed the surge with five points. The Christian offense continued to click the remainder of the half as the Knights built a 30-point halftime advantage.

Ethan Russell led Christian with 16 points and Malek Wieker added 13. Isakson finished with nine.

Charlie Deiter’s 13 points powered the Trojans.

Christian has two big games to round out the week. The Knights have a road game against unbeaten Waubay-Summit on Thursday, before taking on top-rated White River during the Hanson Classic at the Corn Palace on Saturday.

“This was a great way to start the week off,” Rohrbach said, “but we have more business to take care of Thursday and Saturday.”

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (8-0): Andrew Brennan 2 1-1 5, Jackson Isakson 3 2-2 9, Ethan Russell 7 0-0 16, Malek Wieker 5 0-0 13, Kaden Clark 2 0-0 4, Abe Holscher 2 0-0 6, Brenden Stapp 1 0-0 2, Josh Schaunaman 2 0-0 5, Konnar Furman 1 1-2 3, Becker Bosma 1 0-0 3, Joey Johnson 4 3-3 11. Totals 30-66 7-8 77.

FAULKTON (3-6): Roman DiMaria 1 0-0 2, DJ McGaugh 1 0-0 2, Layne Cotton 4 0-1 8, Gus Kopecky 2 0-1 5, Gian DiMaria 2 0-0 6, Spencer Melius 2 0-0 4, Charlie Deiter 3 4-7 11, Trey Machtemes 0 0-2 0. Totals 15-46 4-11 38.

Aberdeen Christian 23 49 67 77

Faulkton 11 19 26 38

3-point field goals – Isakson, Russell 2, Wieker 3, Holscher 2, Schaunaman, Bosma; Kopecky, DiMaria 2, Deiter. Total fouls – Aberdeen Christian 15; Faulkton 22. Rebounds – Aberdeen Christian 37 (Russell 5); Faulkton 22 (Cotton 4, Deiter 4). Turnovers – Aberdeen Christian 5; Faulkton 7. Assists – Aberdeen Christian 17 (Brennan 4, Wieker 4); Faulkton 11. Steals – Aberdeen Christian 4; Faulkton 3.