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Aberdeen Roncalli girls' basketball coach Derek Larson talks to his players during a game last season. The Cavaliers are off to unbeaten start and are currently rated second in the latest Class A poll. That is the highest rating for the team in school history. (American News Photo by John Davis / December 20, 2012) |
The Cavaliers are rated second in this week’s Class A poll, believed to be the highest ranking ever for the squad.
“We actually like to be where we’re at,” said Roncalli girls’ coach Derek Larson of the elite position.
He knows that ratings do not win any games, but it does garner the team some state-wide recognition.
“It’s kind of a little pat on the back,” Larson said. “We don’t talk about it too much, if ever. We’re trying to stay humble.”
Larson understands that being highly rated also comes with a price.
“The thing that’s not so good about that is we always have a target on our back,” Larson said. “We get everyone’s best basketball.”
Larson also knows that while his team has recorded four lopsided victories so far this season, the Cavaliers have yet to get into the meat of their schedule.
That is about to change.
“We have the tough part of our schedule coming up,” Larson said. “The games coming up are going to be a lot more difficult.”
Roncalli’s next four games include Britton-Hecla (3-1), Herreid-Selby Area (4-0), Groton (3-1) and top-ranked St. Thomas More (4-0) at the Redfield Classic.
“Four good games all in a row,” Larson pointed out. “We know that we’re going to have to bring our best basketball to beat all those teams.”
Not only that, but looming on Roncalli’s schedule the rest of the sason are foes such as Redfield-Doland (already 2-0 in the Northeast Conference), Deuel (3-1), Sisseton (defending region champion), Warner (4-0 and ranked fifth in Class B), Miller (1-0), Milbank (3-0), Summit (3-0 and ranked first in Class B), Clark-Willow Lake (ranked fourth in Class A), and a quality opponent to be determined in the Hanson Classic.
Larson is not looking that far down the road, however. He wants to make sure his players focus on the first task at hand.
“We preach every day about looking one game at a time and one practice at a time,” he said. “We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.”
Sports writer Dave Vilhauer
Classic time of year
Several area teams will be taking part in basketball classics throughout the area later this month. A three-day stretch, Dec. 27-29, has the following schedule.
Mobridge will host both boys’ and girls’ Rotary Classics. The girls’ is on Dec. 27 while the boys’ will be the following day, both at the Mobridge-Pollock High School Gym. Each day features four games, starting at 1 p.m.
