FAULKTON – After giving up nearly half of Faulkton’s total points in the first quarter, Aberdeen Roncalli put the clamps on defensively and cruised to a 55-22 non-conference girls’ basketball victory Tuesday night in a matchup of once-beaten teams.

The Cavaliers led 13-8 after the opening stanza of play, but head coach Derek Larson challenged his team to play better down the stretch.

“We didn’t play great in the first quarter,” Larson said. “We forced a lot of stuff and turned the ball over.”

Roncalli , which improved to 8-1 on the season, rose to Larson’s challenge and pulled steadily away.

“Once we got in the rhythm of the game, we settled down on both ends of the floor and played a lot better,” Larson said.

Offensively, Roncalli was as good from beyond the arc as it was inside it, shooting 33 percent from the floor all around, including eight triples. Claire Crawford was the leader of that charge, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Defensively, the Cavaliers proved relentless, forcing the host Trojans into more turnovers than points allowed.

“We just played the way we play,” Larson said. “Our guards did a really good job of harassing their guards in the half court.”

Roncalli also held Faulkton’s leading scorer Carley Cotton to just nine points, forcing her away from the rim throughout the night, Larson said. Cotton finished with seven rebounds, an assist and a pair of steals for the Trojans.

Roncalli, which has played three games in five nights, including back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday, will have a week off before returning to the court against Tiospa Zina.

“It will be nice to catch our breath after some back-to-backs,” Larson said.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (8-1): Ava Hanson 5 0-0 12, McKenna O’Keefe 3 0-0 8, Camryn Bain 2 2-2 7, Maddie Huber 1 3-4 5, Claire Crawford 6 0-0 14, Ava Danielson 1 0-0 3, Rylee Voeller 1 2-2 4, Elyana Roach 1 0-0 2. Totals 20-60 7-8 55.

FAULKTON (7-2): Kelli Stoecker 1 0-0 2, Jaymi Senn 2 0-0 4, Carley Cotton 3 1-1 9, Presleigh Martinmaas 2 2-2 6, Anika Mueller 0 1-2 1. Totals 8-51 4-5 22.

Aberdeen Roncalli 13 28 47 55

Faulkton 8 13 18 22

3-point field goals – Aberdeen Roncalli 8-24 (Hanson 2, O’Keefe 2, Bain, Crawford 2, Danielson); Faulkton 2-9 (Cotton 2). Fouls – Aberdeen Roncalli 13; Faulkton 9. Rebounds – Aberdeen Roncalli 35 (Crawford 8, O’Keefe 6, Huber 6); Faulkton 36 (Martinmaas 9, Cotton 7, Senn 7). Turnovers – Aberdeen Roncalli 17; Faulkton 27. Assists – Aberdeen Roncalli 11 (O’Keefe 3, Bain 3); Faulkton 4 (Martinmaas 2). Blocks – Aberdeen Roncalli 5 (Huber 2); Faulkton 3 (Stoecker 2). Steals – Aberdeen Roncalli 16 (Bain 4, Huber 3, Crawford 3, Morgan Helms 3); Faulkton 7 (Cotton 2).