Aberdeen Christian used a 12-2 run late in the fourth quarter to pull away from Sisseton and earn its first victory of the season Saturday afternoon.

The Knights secured a 55-38 non-conference boys’ basketball win at the Cavalier Classic at Roncalli Gym.

Christian coach Aaron Moeller said the team took major step in learning how to win.

“A lot of times with youth and inexperience you kind of got to learn how to win. It’s a process, like how do you do that?” Moeller said. “I felt like we took a step forward in that today, and it’s good for the boys to see that we can get the win.”

Christian held a 38-23 advantage entering the fourth quarter; however, the Redmen trimmed that lead down to 43-36 halfway through the final frame.

Sisseton coach Jared Groos said his team began to knock down baskets after struggling for much of the contest.

“They actually started hitting shots,” Groos said. “Shots go in and it helps.”

Sisseton senior Mason Herzog said it took energy to make the comeback effort possible, despite falling short.

“We definitely need the team spirit,” Herzog said. “We don’t ever stop trying, it’s kind of just what we do. We always have to fight as hard as we can. That’s what we do every day in practice.”

After an Aberdeen Christian timeout with 3:35 left, the momentum turned to the Knights as they pulled away using a 12-2 run to claim the victory. Senior Joey Johnson knocked down a pair of 3-pointers during the run to help with the effort.

“We just knew we wanted to run away with it, and we had to keep pushing it hard,” Johnson said of the late surge. “We knew obviously rebounding and just attacking the rim; that’s how we were going to run away from those teams, and that’s how we’re going to win games going forward.”

It was a struggle to establish momentum in the first quarter as both squads traded leads and were tied twice before the Knights came out of the opening quarter with a 13-10 advantage.

In the second quarter, both teams continued to struggle to score. Sisseton managed just two points in the quarter, with senior guard Nate Tchida scoring a basket with less than two minutes left in the half.

“I thought we got looks and they just didn’t go down,” Groos said of his team’s first-half shooting woes. “That’s the way that it goes sometimes.”

Moeller said the first half was “sloppy” and said both teams were struggling “to find their way.”

“When we went into halftime, I told the guys our identity is we need to get the ball in the post,” Moeller said. “We have to get the ball in the post. We have guys that are 6-4, 6-5, 6-6, and we’re not taking advantage, and so I felt like we made a concerted effort in the second half to do that.”

The adjustment paid off as Christian bolted out to a 38-17 lead in the third quarter, thanks to contributions from Johnson, Konnar Furman, and Becker Bosma. Johnson said watching a few baskets go in early in the second half gave the Knights confidence for the remainder of the contest.

“We knew that if we just attacked the rim that we’d be able to clean up for the way that we were going to be able to really run away with this game,” Johnson said.

Although the Redmen ended the third quarter on a 6-0 run, it was not enough to erase the large deficit that loomed heading into the final period as the Knights pulled away for the win.

Johnson led Aberdeen Christian with a game-high 27 points, while Bosma had 10 points. Tchida and Austin Kohl led Sisseton with 11 points each. Herzog, who had 10 points, said it felt great to be invited to play in a classic.

“We love to get invited to things like these, and it’s great for our team,” Herzog said. “Even if we don’t win, it boosts our confidence, it brings us up, and we’re going to go back to practice on Monday and we’re going to work hard and hopefully get invited to more games like these.”

Sisseton (0-4) will travel to Redfield on Tuesday. Groos said the team will continue to work on competing in every game moving forward.

“I thought the kids competed the entire day, which we’re trying to work on,” Groos said. “In some of those other games that we’ve played so far, I didn’t feel that we competed in the entire games, so that was good to see from the kids today. Hopefully that carries over into the next one, and then to the next one, and keeps going.”

Aberdeen Christian (1-2) will travel to Mobridge-Pollock on Tuesday. Moeller said Saturday’s win gives his team confidence heading into this week.

“I think the biggest thing with a young team is confidence,” Moeller said. “How do you get confidence? Well, you’ve got to see the ball go in the basket, you’ve got to see yourself on the winning side, and that can kind of jumpstart you, so I hope getting the W, the guys can see that we can do this.”

SISSETON (0-4): Mason Herzog 4 1-2 10, Nate Tchida 4 1-3 11, Austin Kohl 5 0-0 11, Christian Shepherd 1 2-2 4, Hayden Hellwig 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 4-7 38.

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (1-2): Ellis Russell 0 4-4 4, Becker Bosma 4 1-2 10, Konnar Furman 3 0-2 6, Joey Johnson 11 2-5 27, Luke Kaiser 0 2-2 2, Jett Johnson 2 0-0 6. Totals 20 9-15 55.

Sisseton 10 12 23 38

Aberdeen Christian 13 23 38 55

3-point field goals – Tchida (2), Herzog, Kohl; Joey Johnson (3), Jett Johnson (2), Bosma. Total fouls – Sisseton 16; Aberdeen Christian 8.