With a demanding schedule on the near horizon, Aberdeen Roncalli took care of the first order on hand Monday night.

The Cavaliers, who scored 52 points in the first half of a game last week, produced 43 points in the opening half of a 64-26 win over Tiospa Zina in a Northeast Conference girls’ basketball game at Roncalli Gym.

As is usually the case, Roncalli’s pressure defense led to instant offense on the way to a 23-6 first-quarter burst.

“When all of us can press it makes it a lot easier for everybody else,” said Roncalli junior Claire Crawford. “It’s really a team effort. No matter who’s scoring, it’s all the results of everybody’s hard effort.”

Crawford did her part to ignite the Roncalli attack, finishing with 12 points, two rebounds and four steals in the opening quarter, including a banked in 3-pointer from the corner.

“I did that in Groton, too, to start the game,” Crawford said of a contest last week. “Sometimes you’ve just got to laugh and take ‘em when you can get ‘em.”

Crawford finished with 14 points on the evening.

“It was nice to get her going again. I think she’d be the first to say she hasn’t shot it particularly well as of late,” said Roncalli coach Derek Larson. “Coming out and making some jump shots for us and getting in the passing lanes and scoring some layups. She really played aggressive, especially early in the basketball game.”

The Cavaliers were without leading scorer Ava Hanson, out with an illness. But they had more than enough offense, receiving at least nine points from four different players.

“You know that she’s a big part of the team that she’s gone,” Crawford said of Hanson, “but we know that everybody can step up and make big shots, and work together as a team.”

Roncalli racked up 16 steals in the contest, led by Crawford with six. The Wambdi had trouble getting into their offense.

“I think they just try to speed you up. We told the girls here’s what we’re going to expect,” said Tiospa Zina coach Rich Crow Eagle. “We’re still a little bit young. We’re missing some players.”

Still, the Wambdi battled until the end, outscoring Roncalli in the final quarter.

“One of the things that we can control is part of our own effort, outmanned whatever, but as long as they play hard, I’m pretty happy with it, never give up,” Crow Eagle said. “It’s a big turnaround with the program from what I’m used to seeing. … Heckuva a lot of improvement.”

TZ was led by Maya Deutsch who scored 11 points, nine of them on three long 3-pointers from well beyond the arc.

“I was just shooting them,” Deutsch said. “They gave me space.”

She said she is used to the long-distance shots.

“It just comes very natural for me,” Deutsch said.

From where the senior was shooting, the Cavaliers gave her plenty of space.

“We saw that on film that she can really shoot it,” Larson said. “Stepped out, and I don’t know she must have been 5-6 feet beyond the line. … Our girl kind of came back and shrugged her shoulders, what do I do? She made some good shots. She’s a good basketball player.”

In the end though, Roncalli’s pressure defense, which produced 31 turnovers, was more than enough.

“They’re just a very tough team,” Deutsch said. “They have good sportsmanship.”

Roncalli was led in scoring by Maddie Huber with 16 points. She also grabbed seven rebounds. Gabby Thomas contributed nine points and five steals.

Two reserves also had strong efforts for the Cavaliers.

Elyana Roach scored 10 points in the final nine minutes after the freshman had 12 points in her last game.

“She’s really played well,” Larson said.

Eighth-grader Grace Cogley led Roncalli with eight rebounds, including five offensive rebounds, in the final stages of the contest.

“She might be one of the better rebounders we’ve had. … She’s super athletic,” Larson said. “The other thing is, yeah, she’s athletic, but her effort on offensive boards and defensive rebounds, there’s not a lot of kids that do that.”

Roncalli, 11-2 on the season, now have three tough games in the week ahead, hosting Milbank on Thursday, taking on top-rated Sioux Falls Christian at the Dak XII-NEC Clash in Madison on Saturday, and then facing NEC-leading Hamlin at Roncalli Gym next Tuesday.

“It’s a big stretch, but we know that we just have to come to practice ready to work (Tuesday) and Wednesday,” Crawford said, “take care of the first one, then move on to the next and not look ahead to any of the other games, because all that matters is the one in front of us right now.”

Larson said the trio of games comes at a good time in the season.

“It gets a lot more difficult for us,” Larson said. “It’s nice that it’s kind of coming at the end of the year so that we can kind of prepare ourselves for postseason.”

TIOSPZA ZINA (5-10): Maya Deutsch 4 0-0 11, Harmony Rodlund 1 0-0 2, Journee Haley 2 1-4 5, Aiyonna Eder 0 0-2 0, Talia Robertson 3 0-0 6, Krius Haukaas 0 2-3 2. Totals 10-32 3-9 26.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (11-2): McKenna O’Keefe 2 0-0 4, Maddie Huber 7 1-2 16, Gabby Thomas 4 1-2 9, Claire Crawford 6 0-0 14, Rylie Voeller 1 0-0 3, Kadince Glynn 1 0-2 3, Elyana Roach 5 2-2 12, Grace Cogley 1 0-0 2, Karsyn Davis 0 1-2 1. Totals 27-63 5-10 64.

Tiospa Zina 6 12 16 26

Aberdeen Roncalli 23 43 56 64

3-point field goals – Duetsch 3; Huber, Crawford 2, Voeller, Glynn. Total fouls – Tiospa Zina 13; Aberdeen Roncalli 9. Rebounds – Tiospa Zina 20 (Haley 7); Aberdeen Roncalli 38 (Cogley 8, Huber 7). Turnovers – Tiospa Zina 31; Aberdeen Roncalli 13. Steals – Aberdeen Roncalli 16   (Crawford 6, Thomas 5).