The Deuel Cardinals wanted to send a message with their defense in the second half and it came through loud and clear Thursday night at the Roncalli Gym. Trailing by one point at halftime, Deuel converted back-to-back turnovers into layups to start the third quarter and spark a spirited defensive effort on the way to a 65-48 Northeast Conference boys' basketball win over Aberdeen Roncalli. "At halftime we refocused and talked about our defense. That’s been our constant all season long and I’m proud of the boys and how they responded," said Deuel coach Jon Peterreins. "We know that Roncalli has some shooters and (Maddox Miller) and (Aiden Fisher) got loose and they can shoot it. In the second half we clamped down and communicated better." While the Deuel defense picked up, so did the offense of Trey Maaland, who scored 15 second-half points on the way to a game-high total of 23. Maaland said it was the defense that eventually led to the offensive production, pointing out th