While temperatures outside were dipping, emotions inside the Roncalli Gym were not, as Warner edged out Aberdeen Roncalli 47-46 in a non-conference boys’ basketball contest Thursday night.

With both squads mounting some sort of pressure on the defensive end of the floor, emotions were riding the razor’s edge most of the night.

In the end, however, it was Warner that made the night’s biggest defensive stand, as Drew Bakeberg blocked a potential game-winning shot from Sam Franks as time expired, giving the Monarchs their first victory.

The win comes on the heels of a Tuesday night loss at the hands of Aberdeen Christian.

“The game on Tuesday, it motivated us,” said Warner junior Jesiah Baum. “We kind of got our teeth stomped, so we just wanted to learn from it and come into this game with some energy.”

From the opening tip, Thursday’s contest was not lacking in energy. Both squads used some dribble penetration to get open looks at the basket, as Roncalli led 18-16 by the end of the stanza.

“Eighteen in the first quarter. It seemed like it was going to be one of those shootout type of games,” said Roncalli coach Dan Gallagher. 

That was not to be, however. Roncalli managed just four points in the second quarter and four in the fourth.

“Their defense turned it up and made things difficult,” Gallagher said.

Still, despite those lengthy scoring droughts, the Cavaliers didn’t let the Monarchs out of reach, instead relying on their own defensive efforts to keep the game within two possessions for the vast majority of the night.

“We thought we played pretty well (defensively), but we didn’t shoot as well as we wanted to,” said Roncalli senior Parker Grieben. “So we want to focus on, if shots aren’t falling, working into something else and not just trying to do the same thing over (again). Trying to get our emotions going and get some runs started. I feel like we didn’t get a lot of runs and I feel like we work better when we get … a lot of stops and then scoring on the other end.”

Warner, despite not being able to create distance on the scoreboard, still managed to create scoring opportunities for Baum and Bakeberg, both of whom came through in big moments for the Monarchs.

“They’re the only upperclassmen we have on this team,” said Warner coach Derek Hoellein. “Obviously, there’s a lot on their plate night in and night out. We expect them to make plays, and they did that tonight. They were huge.”

Hoellein said his team rebounded nicely from Tuesday’s setback.

“The biggest thing that happened on Tuesday was when things started going bad, we rolled over and gave up on it,” he said. “Tonight our focus was, when things go south, we have to regroup and stay to the grind and keep playing. I thought we did a way better job.”

Baum and freshman Brennan Wolf-Donat each had 13 points to lead all scorers. Bakeberg added 11 points for the Monarchs.

Roncalli was led by Franks’ 11 points, seven of which came in the third quarter, including a long 2-pointer that just beat the buzzer to end the stanza. Grieben tallied 10 points, and Sam Larson finished with seven.

“I thought our guys played physical,” Gallagher said. “That’s one thing we preached since the Mobridge game. We’ve got to be physical and go out with toughness and make things more difficult, make sure we’re getting rebounds. And for the most part, I thought we did a really good job of that, just again, those couple quarters hurt us.”

Both teams are back in action on Saturday. Roncalli will host Dell Rapids in a 4 p.m. contest, while Warner will play its fourth game in a week, hosting Potter County at 5 p.m.

“Coming into the year, we didn’t really know what we had,” Baum said. “We’re a young team. A lot of people didn’t really know what we had, and I think tonight we showed people what we’re capable of.”

WARNER (2-1): Jesiah Baum 5 2-4 13, Drew Bakeberg 4 2-2 11, Noah Bakeberg 2 0-3 4, Alec Mikkelsen 1 0-0 3, Brennan Wolf-Donat 5 2-2 13, Lincoln Kroll 0 1-2 1, Brayden Kroll 1 0-1 2. Totals 18 7-14 47.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (1-2): Jesse Hernandez 1 3-4 5, Aiden Fisher 3 0-2 6, Brody Weinmeister 2 0-0 5, Sam Larson 2 1-2 7, Parker Grieben 4 2-2 10, Sam Franks 4 3-4 11, Bryson Olson 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 9-14 46.

Warner 16 25 42 47

Aberdeen Roncalli 18 22 42 46

3-point field goals – Baum, D. Bakeberg, Mikkelsen, Wolf-Donat; Larson 2, Weinmeister. Total Fouls – Warner 18; Aberdeen Roncalli 17.