CLEAR LAKE – Aberdeen Roncalli built an early lead and pulled away from Deuel for a 46-34 Northeast Conference boys’ basketball win Thursday night.

The Cavaliers took a 10-7 lead after the first quarter before a key second quarter saw Roncalli outscore Deuel 16-10 to take a nine-point advantage into the halftime intermission.

The Cavaliers focused on slowing down Cardinals senior Trey Maaland, and Roncalli coach Dan Gallagher was pleased with how his team handled the game plan defensively.

“We played really well defensively,” Gallagher said. “We knew Trey was going to be a handful and he was our priority all night.”

Gallagher gave credit to junior Brody Weinmeister for his defense against Maaland, and also noted it took a team effort to slow down the Deuel standout, who was held to just nine points on the night.

Brody started on him and made it really difficult for him to create his own shots,” Gallagher said. “We switched everything, so even though Brody was our primary defender on him, everyone contributed.”

The Cavaliers led by as many as 17 points before the Cardinals battled back, cutting to lead down to 10 in the second half. Gallagher gave credit to Deuel’s defense for putting pressure on his squad.

“They forced us into a lot of turnovers down the stretch,” Gallagher said. “As we enter the postseason, that’s something we really need to improve on.”

Troy Jenson led Deuel (8-12) with 11 points, while Gabe Sather contributed six to the total. The Cardinals will now prepare for the Region 2A tournament.

Roncalli was led by Keegan Stewart with 13 points, while Maddox Miller had 10. Weinmeister added eight to the total.

The Cavaliers (12-7) will play Ipswich at the Warner Classic on Saturday afternoon in their regular season finale. Gallagher said Thursday’s win gives his team momentum heading into that contest against the Tigers.

“I’m happy with our effort and the way we finished,” Gallagher said. “It gives us good momentum moving into a solid Ipswich team.”

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (12-7): Maddox Miller 4 0-0 10, Brody Weinmeister 4 0-0 8, Keegan Stewart 5 2-2 13, Aiden Fisher 1 0-0 2, Parker Grieben 3 0-0 6, Jesse Hernandez 1 0-0 3, Landon Zikmund 2 0-0 4. Totals 19 2-2 46.

DEUEL (8-12): Troy Jenson 5 1-1 11, Trey Maaland 3 2-2 9, Jaxon Peterreins 0 1-2 1, Gabe Sather 2 1-2 6, Dexter Unzen 1 0-0 2, Robert Begalka 1 0-0 2, Caden Finnesand 1 0-0 3. Totals 13 5-7 34.

Aberdeen Roncalli 10 26 37 46

Deuel 7 17 24 34

3-point field goals – Miller (2), Stewart, Hernandez; Maaland, Sather, Finnesand. Total fouls –Aberdeen Roncalli 14; Deuel 12. Rebounds – Aberdeen Roncalli 35 (Miller 8, Fisher 6); Deuel 24 (Sather 6, Jenson 5). Turnovers – Aberdeen Roncalli 17; Deuel 11. Steals – Aberdeen Roncalli 7 (Miller 3, Stewart 3); Deuel 10 (Jenson 5).