REDFIELD – Mount Vernon-Plankinton ended the playoff run for Aberdeen Roncalli the second straight year.

The Titans defeated the Cavaliers 58-51 in Class A SoDak 16 girls’ basketball action Thursday night in Redfield, in a rematch of last year’s SoDak 16 contest.

It was a tale of two halves for both teams, with Roncalli holding a seven-point lead going into halftime.

“First half, we played really, really well. We didn’t turn it over like we did in the second half. Defensively, made things a lot more difficult for them in the first half compared to the second half,” said Roncalli coach Derek Larson. “So, it was kind of a tale of two halves with everything.”

Maddie Huber scored the first four points for the Cavaliers, one basket coming off a steal as Roncalli was able to use its pressure defense in the opening half.

“Reading the offense before they pass the ball. Getting into passing lanes is what we focus on,” Huber said. “We probably play more defense than we do on offense in practice, and just converting our defensive hard work to offense really pays off and I think that’s just what got us going.”

The Cavaliers held a 9-3 lead with just under three minutes left in the first quarter, but Mount Vernon-Plankinton responded with six unanswered points to tie the game at on its first possession of the second quarter.

Roncalli’s McKenna O’Keefe broke that streak before Northern State commit Reagan Russ responded with a putback layup while falling down, extending her run of all 11 of her team’s points up to that stage.

“To be honest, I didn’t even really think about it. I just thought about the ending of the game. I just really wanted to win, and I really wanted to push these girls and get them to state,” said Rus. “So, I just went out there and just kind of forgot the scoreboard and just did my thing.”

A pair of 3-pointers from Rylee Voeller and one from Ava Hanson gave the Cavaliers a 10-point lead halfway through the second quarter, before the Titans cut the deficit in half.

Maddie Huber’s basket before the break gave Roncalli a seven-point lead going into halftime.

“They were playing zone, so just recognizing what was open. We knew the middle of the lane, the high post area was going to be open,” said Huber, who scored eight first-half points. “I just tried my hardest to get myself to that spot and shots were falling for me.”

MVP outscored the Cavaliers 15-11 in the third quarter to stay withing striking distance, down three going into the final period.

“At halftime, we really talked about things we needed to accomplish and set the goals that we needed. We really needed to be aggressive towards the basket and everyone else needed to get involved,” Rus said. “We just kind of needed to remember what kind of team we were at half, so I think we definitely figured that out and came out and were aggressive.”

While the Cavaliers still owned the lead, the momentum was starting to swing.

“They hit some big shots in the second half, momentum got on their side,” Larson said. “We added to it with some turnovers.”

Rus scored in the paint after a steal on the first possession of the fourth quarter before teammate Taryn Hegg hit a pair of free throws to give the Titans their first lead since early in the game.

Claire Crawford put Roncalli ahead briefly before the Titans surged ahead for good.

After another basket from Rus, a steal led to a 3-pointer from Brooklyn Bosma that pushed the margin to four points. Bosma then hit another three with 2:08 left to stretch the lead to seven points thanks to an offensive rebound and assist from Rus.

“Gosh, I would say that’s my favorite part of the game. I would say getting that pass and that assist,” Rus said. “That just really gets me hyped up and excited because I just like to give other people success.”

Throughout the first six and a half minutes of the fourth quarter, Roncalli turned the ball over five times, leading to transition points for Titans, who eventually opened a 10-point advantage.

Ava Hanson gave the Cavaliers hope with back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead down to five with 36.3 seconds left, but the double-digit deficit proved to be too much to overcome as the Cavaliers eventually ran out of time before they could complete the comeback.

“I mean I wish we could take back about eight minutes of the game where we turned it over and didn’t get defensive rebounds and get defensive stops,” Larson said. “I mean, we cut it to five, but when they got it up to 10, it’s hard to come back with little time and timeouts left. And every made shot’s gonna run the clock, but yeah, we did hit some big ones down the stretch.”

Huber led Roncalli with 15 points in her final game. The senior guard got a chance to score one more time in the closing seconds to close out her Cavalier career.

“That’s what our coaches preach. Never stop, just keep working hard. Every day at practice, it’s the same mentality, it’s the best practice,” said Huber. “(Wednesday) we were hoping it wasn’t our last practice, but I had nothing else to lose. I ain’t coming back next year.”

Rus scored a game-high 30 points, all in the paint, while her future NSU teammate Hanson finished with 11. Voeller contributed a dozen points, all coming on 3-pointers.

While disappointed with the final outcome, Larson was pleased with how his team competed all season.

“I mean 16-6, not gonna complain about that. Again, disappointed for our seniors,” Larson said. “Wanted to go out at the state tournament. We wanted to do it for them, just didn’t get the job done.”

MOUNT VERNON-PLANKINTON (19-4): Reagan Rus 12 6-8 30, Madalynn Lorang 2 0-1 4, Alyssa Johnson 1 1-4 6, Brooklyn Bosma 2 0-0 6, Taryn Hegg 2 7-8 12. Totals 20 14-21 58.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (16-6): McKenna O’Keefe 2 1-2 6, Maddie Huber 4 7-8 15, Claire Crawford 2 0-0 5, Rylee Voeller 4 0-0 12, Ava Hanson 4 0-0 11, Gabby Thomas 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 8-10 51.

Mount Vernon-Plankinton 7 19 34 58

Aberdeen Roncalli 9 26 37 51

3-point field goals – Johnson, Bosma 2, Hegg; O’Keefe, Crawford, Voeller 4, Hanson 3. Total fouls – Mount Vernon-Plankinton 8; Aberdeen Roncalli 14.