In a game of back-and-forth, it was a late surge from Deuel that proved the difference-maker Thursday night. 

The visiting Cardinals used a series of transition buckets late in the game to fend off a short-handed Aberdeen Roncalli squad 57-53 in Northeast Conference boys’ basketball action at the Roncalli Gym.

That late run was a microcosm of the game at large, save for the fact that the Cavaliers ran out of time to close the gap as they had done every other time the Cardinals had created any separation.

“Going in, we really wanted to clean up from last Friday in valuing the basketball,” said Roncalli coach Dan Gallagher. “First half, I thought we did a phenomenal job. From our stats, I think we had one turnover at that time. Whether that’s right or not, I thought we valued it well.”

Indeed, the Cavaliers, playing without reserve center Cam Olson (illness), normally a significant presence in the post, never let the Cardinals further than two possessions away, and nearly always rallied to either tie the score or take the lead.

“We got to the basket, which has been key for us, and especially doing it without Cam,” Gallagher said. “I thought our guards played really well being able to get to the basket. “

In Olson’s absence, senior Parker Grieben found himself shouldering the bulk of the load inside while the guards worked the perimeter.

“It feels a little different,” Grieben said of playing without Olson. “Usually I get bumped out to the perimeter or I can get more breaks because he’s in there. It just felt like it was more on me to score in the paint, which didn’t really happen tonight. We missed him tonight. We’ll be very happy when he comes back. It’s just tough, missing a part of the team, but we still try to move past it.”

The second half mirrored much of the first half, with both teams trading leads like currency, neither one content to let the other pull away.

“The key for us was to fight on defense and the boards,” said Deuel senior Gabe Sather. “At halftime we were talking about how we have to get better on the boards on the defensive end. Too many second-chance points. I think we did a little better on that second half.”

Ultimately, however, it was the Cardinals who capitalized on opportunities down the stretch, turning a handful of Roncalli turnovers into fastbreak scoring chances to forge a lead the Cavaliers couldn’t erase.

“We were able to keep our composure,” Sather said of weathering all the Cavalier comebacks throughout the night. “We’re a resilient team and we just love to fight. We showed how much fight we have there.“

Sather finished with 19 points, and was joined in double figures by Troy Jensen with 15 and Caden Finnesand with 11.

Roncalli’s Aiden Fisher matched Sather’s 19-point effort, while Sam Franks finished with 13. Grieben tallied eight points for the Cavaliers.

“Overall, our kids played hard, they played resilient, they played tough,” Gallagher said. “It’s just unfortunate how it ended.”

While the loss stings for the Cavaliers, Grieben said his squad has to reset its focus and move on.

“Right now we decided we’re not going to dwell on it,” he said. “We have another tough game Saturday. We’re just going to forget about this and be the best team we can be.”

The Cavaliers, 7-11, will face Waverly-South Shore Saturday as part of the Warner Classic before wrapping up the regular season Monday against Tiospa Zina.

Deuel, meanwhile, put the finishing touches on its regular season slate at 14-6 with Thursday’s win and instead turns its attention to postseason play.

“It means a lot,” Sather said of the win. “It gives us a good starting spot for the playoff to hopefully go get a win in the first round and continue on.”

DEUEL (14-6): Troy Jensen 5 4-6 15, Caden Finnesand 3 2-2 11, Jaxon Peterreins 2 1-4 6, Gabe Sather 9 1-4 19, Caleb Ronne 1 0-0 2, Sutton Benck 2 0-0 4, Kyle Finnesand 0 0-2 0. Totals 22 8-18 57.

ABERDEEN RONCALLI (7-11): Jesse Hernandez 1 0-0 2, Aiden Fisher 8 3-4 19, Sam Franks 4 4-7 13, Brody Weinmeister 3 0-2 6, Parker Grieben 4 0-0 8, Sam Larson 1 0-0 3, Austin Fisher 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 7-12 53.

Deuel 17 27 38 57

Aberdeen Roncalli 15 27 40 53

3-point field goals – Jenson, C. Finnesand 3, Peterreins; Franks, Larson. Total fouls – Deuel 11; Aberdeen Roncalli 21.