SIOUX FALLS – The defensive-fueled winning streak gets more impressive by the victory.

Aberdeen Christian won its seventh straight boys’ basketball game during a stretch in which the Knights have not given up more than 40 points in any contest. Saturday’s win occurred against Class A McLaughlin, which has already won 10 games.

Christian built an early lead and held on a 50-35 win in the Heritage Classic at the Sanford Pentagon on Saturday afternoon.

Christian coach Aaron Moeller was pleased with how his team handled the ups and downs of the contest.

“One thing I really liked about that game is we had a good start,” Moeller said. “It was a game where we had to show some poise, and at this time of the year you want those games where you kind of got to work a little bit and work through some challenges, and then we finished.”

Aberdeen Christian began the game on a 9-0 run before McLaughlin scored its lone basket of the opening quarter off of a steal. The Knights then finished the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a commanding 16-2 advantage into the second quarter. Moeller was glad to see the Knights jump out to an early advantage.

“A great first quarter. We really jumped out on them there and I really felt like that really set the tone for the game,” Moeller said.

However, the Mustangs refused to go away, cutting the deficit down to seven by the end of the third quarter. Moeller credited McLaughlin’s defensive pressure, which caused problems for the Knights throughout the game.

“Their full court defensive pressure gave us some fits, there’s no doubt about that,” Moeller said. “I felt like once we kind of figured it out, we had some success against it, but certainly caught us off guard. We did not see that on film and we were a little unprepared for it.”

McLaughlin’s defensive pressure forced Christian into errant passes that led to turnovers, while the Knights also struggled to rebound the ball at points in the contest. Moeller noted the team will make it a point of emphasis to improve in those areas moving forward.

“Our margin on the boards has been significantly better, so I was a little disappointed in how we rebounded the ball in the first half,” Moeller said. “To win basketball games, you’ve got to control the transition game, and we didn’t do that well throughout the game at times, you got to rebound the basketball, and you’ve got to control turnovers, so there’s some things we definitely have to clean up.”

Despite the mistakes, the Knights finished strong in the final period by outscoring the Mustangs 17-9 to seal the victory. Moeller was proud to see another strong defensive effort in the win.

“Really proud of our team on the defensive end,” Moeller said. “This is our seventh straight game holding a team under 40 (points). Anytime you do that, you really have a great opportunity to win basketball games. So, for us, this team really starts on the defensive end, and it was another really good showing by the team defensively.”

McLaughlin (10-3) was led by Cassidy Demery and Raymin Yellow Earrings with 11 points apiece. The Knights were paced by Brooks Jett with 17 points, while Joey Johnson had 15. Konnar Furman and Becker Bosma contributed eight and seven, respectively.

Aberdeen Christian (8-4) will continue its busy stretch of the season this week when they travel to Ipswich on Tuesday, before hosting Aberdeen Roncalli on Thursday and Sully Buttes on Saturday. Moeller said the current stretch is an important one for the team this season.

“It started today with McLaughlin, then we’ve got Ipswich and Roncalli, two really good teams that we’re going to have to be prepared for,” Moeller said. “Both of those teams are winning teams. Of course, we have to play Ipswich on the road and they are very good at home; they’re well-coached. And then Roncalli, it’s kind of a rivalry, so it could go either way. Hopefully we can continue this streak that we’re on.”

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (8-4): Ellis Russell 1 0-4 3, Becker Bosma 3 0-0 7, Konnar Furman 3 2-2 8, Brooks Jett 7 3-6 17, Joey Johnson 6 3-4 15. Totals 20 8-16 50.

McLAUGHLIN (10-3): Boston Miller 1 0-0 3, Cassidy Demery 5 1-2 11, Raymin Yellow Earrings 4 2-3 11, Renzo Bull Head 1 0-0 2, Tyler Bullhead 1 1-2 3, Alex Archambault 1 0-0 2, Lai’Ty Brown Otter 1 0-0 3. Totals 14 4-7 35.

Aberdeen Christian 16 26 33 50

McLaughlin 2 15 26 35

3-point field goals – Russell, Bosma; Miller, Yellow Earrings, Brown Otter. Total fouls – Aberdeen Christian 9; McLaughlin 15.