When Ava Hanson nailed a three-point field less than 30 seconds into the game, it signaled a sign of things to come Tuesday night at Roncalli Gym.

The junior was just getting started on her way to a school record eight three-pointers as Roncalli stormed past Faulkton 71-43 in a non-conference girls’ basketball victory.

“If I’m open I shoot the ball,” Hanson said. “It feels good to come back after a loss (on Monday) and actually make some shots.”

Hanson made plenty of shots, 13 in all, on the way to a game-high 35 points, just one short of tying a school record (set by Paige Sommers in 2014). The sophomore finished with 19 points in the opening half as the Cavaliers opened a 17-point lead. Roncalli had seven three-pointers as a team in the first 16 minutes.

“We couldn’t have shot it much better than we did,” said Roncalli coach Derek Larson. “It was pretty unbelievable how well we shot it from the field, especially from three.”

It was Hanson who led the way with a trio of three-pointers in the opening quarter as the Cavaliers built a lead they never lost. Assistant coach Rich Dix took note of what was transpiring.

“Coach Dix said midway through the first quarter, ‘Tonight might be the night that she sets the record.’ And she did,” Larson said. “She shot it really well.”

The old record was seven three-pointers in a game shared by Megan Streier (2019) and Kate Heintzman (2014).

Ever the team player, Hanson was quick to credit those around her for her scoring accomplishment.

“It feels good when I know they’re going to fall and I have confidence in myself,” Hanson said. “It feels good, but I have to give credit to my teammates. We work hard on the offensive end and we get open looks.”

Roncalli’s hot perimeter shooting foiled a Faulkton game plan designed to keep the Cavaliers out of the lane.

“We were going to have to live with them hitting some outside shots,” said Faulkton coach Chase Casper, “and they just hit far too many.”

Another factor in the contest was Roncalli’s ability to battle on the boards where the Cavaliers collected 10 offensive rebounds.

“For being a small team like us, I thought we did a pretty good job of attacking the glass,” Larson said. “We talked about that pregame, we need to make sure we get offensive rebounds. We got a lot of opportunities. Because of long shots, we got a lot of long rebounds.”

In the end, Roncalli’s size or lack of it, was not nearly as important as its shooting.

“They don’t have a lot of size,” Casper said, “but when you’re making 11 three-pointers in a game – threes are worth more than twos – it really doesn’t matter if you have any size.”

The Cavaliers hit the court with a purpose after having their three-game winning streak snapped in a loss to Sully Buttes on Monday night.

“We were ready. We were disappointed in how we played (Monday) night,” Hanson said. “We knew we could do better. We knew we could come out strong and that’s exactly what we did, right from the start.”

Maddie Huber contributed 14 points to the Roncalli total.

Addison Melius scored had 14 points for Faulkton, while Kelli Stoecker added 10.

Roncalli, which improved to 5-2 on the season, is in the middle of a demanding week. The Cavaliers started off the week by facing unbeaten Sully Buttes and now cap it off by traveling to unbeaten Sisseton on Friday.

“On the road twice, especially Sully Buttes which is a tough one, going to Sisseton which is top five team in the state in Class A,” Larson said. “we’re going to have to play our best basketball to win.”

FAULKTON (2-5): Olivia Hadrick 2 0-1 4, Paislee Martinmaas 1 0-2 2, Gabby Kast 3 0-0 8, Addison Melius 6 2-2 14, Ashly Senn 1 1-1 3, Tegan Baloun 1 0-0 2, Presleigh Martinmaas 0 0-2 0, Kelli Stoecker 2 6-6 10. Totals 16-45 9-14 43.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (5-2): McKenna O’Keefe 2 0-0 4, Camryn Bain 1 0-0 2, Maddie Huber 5 3-4 14, Claire Crawford 2 0-0 4, Ava Hanson 13 1-1 35, Morgan Helms 3 0-0 6, Ava Danielson 1 0-0 3, Rylee Voeller 1 0-0 3. Totals 28-60 4-5 71.

Faulkton 10 22 37 43

Aberdeen Roncalli 19 39 60 71

3-point field goals – Kast 2; Huber, Hanson 8, Danielson, Voeller. Total fouls – Faulkton 8; Aberdeen Roncalli 15. Rebounds – Faulkton 24 (Melius 5); Aberdeen Roncalli 24 (Huber 6, Crawford 6). Turnovers – Faulkton 18; Aberdeen Roncalli 9. Assists – Faulkton 7 (Paislee Martinmaas 3); Aberdeen Roncalli 18 (O’Keefe 6). Steals – Faulkton 4; Aberdeen Roncalli 12 (Huber 4).