By Aberdeen Central held Watertown to single digits in both the first and second quarters as the Eagles pulled away for a 51-36 victory in Class AA girls basketball Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Golden Eagles Arena.
Central led 37-15 after two quarters.
“We had a phenomenal first half,” said Central head coach Paiton Burckhard. “We did everything we talked about. Sharing the basketball. Getting to the glass. We did a great job with rebounds. We had 10 offensive boards in the first half and they had 11 total. That’s the type of effort we want to see.”
Aberdeen Central’s Taryn Hermansen takes a one-handed jump shot during the fourth quarter against Watertown Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Golden Eagles Arena. Her 14 points helped lift Central to a 51-36 victory. Defending for Watertown is Grace Corey. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
The Arrows made things interesting in the second half.
Trailing by 24 in the third quarter, Watertown’s defense and some rushed shots early in possessions by the Golden Eagles led to an 8:27 scoring drought for Central. The Arrows scored 13 straight to pull within 44-31 with 4:29 remaining in the game.
Emery Thury, who led 1-5 Watertown with a game-high 16 points, scored eight during that stretch.
“We made a few adjustments, made some changes, Emery had a couple steals for us during that run there in the second half,” said Watertown head coach Chad Rohde. “The key coming into tonight was that we needed to score. We had those opportunities in the second half and we capitalized on some, but, again, it was just too deep a hole for us to get out of.”
Burckhard knew the Eagles would face a full-court press, and they committed 26 turnovers.
“It is hard at times because you can see we get tired, and it gets frustrating seeing the press the entire game,” she said. “Emma Dohrer handles the ball the entire time and she hardly comes out. We tell the girls the press is a total team effort to handle, so we’ll have to get better at it.”
Taryn Hermansen led the Golden Eagles with 14 points. She said double-digit leads can evaporate quickly if a team isn’t executing at both ends of the floor.
“We have to go into every game knowing that we have to play our best,” Hermansen said. “Teams are hungry, and it doesn’t matter what your record is. Both teams are hungry and are always going to be ready to go, and you need to get it done offensively and defensively. Watertown is a good team and we knew that. It was a different kind of game, but getting the win is what counts.”
Central (6-1) returns to action Saturday, Jan. 18 when it hosts Tea Area at 3 p.m. The Eagles are receiving votes in this week’s Class AA girls basketball poll.
Late run and solid defense help Central knock off Sioux Falls Lincoln
Aberdeen Central used timely scoring down the stretch and a stifling defense to secure a 47-37 victory at Sioux Falls Lincoln on Friday, Jan. 10.
Trailing 37-35 with 5:53 left in the game, the Golden Eagles seized control late.
“We had done some nice things defensively throughout the game, but we had to piece them together towards the end,” Burckhard said. “We told the girls that we couldn’t trade baskets if we wanted to win the game, and the final six minutes was a testament to that.”
Hermansen scored 11 points, including a huge turnaround jumper in the lane with just more than three minutes left that gave Central a 42-37 lead.
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“We absolutely needed that shot, and to see her make it on an explosive move in the lane was really great,” Burckhard said. “Taryn usually has defenders hanging all over her throughout the game and doesn’t get a lot of calls. For her to make the catch and hit that shot was great for her confidence and the team’s as well. You could see everyone on the floor wanting her to make that shot.”
Burckhard said Central’s guards did a good job challenging Lincoln’s three-point shots.
“We did a great job of understanding who to guard, where to bring help and recover and getting to their shooters,” she said. “We did a very good job of using what we knew about Lincoln and their tendencies at the three-point line to limit their makes.”
Roncalli clamps down on defense to whip Faulkton
Aberdeen Roncalli’s Ava Hanson takes a jump shot over Faulkton Area’s Carley Cotton during the first quarter of the Cavaliers’ Tuesday, Jan. 14 victory at the Roncalli Gym. Aberdeen Insider photo by Allie Hoekman.
Aberdeen Roncalli held Faulkton Area to single-digit scoring in all four quarters and rolled to a 56-23 win Tuesday, Jan. 14 at the Roncalli Gym.
Head Coach Derek Larson cited a commitment to defense as the driving force behind his team’s start.
“Our defense got us going tonight,” Larson said. “Faulkton hit a three to open the game, and over the next 15 minutes we gave up six points. We definitely made it difficult for them in the full court and in our half-court defense.”
The Trojans managed just two points in the second quarter.
Ava Hanson led the way for Roncalli with 14 points.
Larson said his team had a balanced scoring attack with nine Cavaliers scoring points.
“It just seemed like everyone scored. We were able to get good looks at the basket, and I thought we got to the rim as well. We did take some shots too early in some possessions in the first half, but we settled in, started being a little more aggressive offensively and stopped settling for threes,” he said.
As for his team’s 7-1 start, Larson said, “We’re happy, not satisfied.
“We still need to handle the press a little better and cut down on allowing dribble-drives to the basket. There are always things you can improve on,” he said.
Next up, the Cavaliers play Elk Point-Jefferson at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 at the Hanson Classic in Mitchell.
Hanson’s 25 points propel Cavs to road win in Sisseton
Hanson scored a game-high 25 points as Roncalli knocked off Sisseton 54-42 in a key Class A girls basketball contest Friday, Jan. 10 in Sisseton.
Larson said Hanson’s competitive drive was impressive as the Cavaliers improved to 6-1.
“Our kids get up to play against Sisseton, and Ava is certainly one not to back down from a challenge,” Larson said. “We needed her to have a big night for us and she did. We don’t need 25 points from her every night, but she did a phenomenal job, especially on the defensive end.”
Roncalli’s strong defense was critical, Larson said.
Sisseton’s 6-foot-1 post Krista Langager, who has committed to play at the University of Sioux Falls, was held to 11 points. Her sister Saylor, a 6-foot-2 post, scored just four points.
“We just did a very good job of being physical with them, especially Krista. Rylee Voeller, Ava, and Carsyn (Davis) did a great job of getting Krista off her spots in the post and really made it difficult on her to score. We limited offensive rebounds and made it difficult for (Krista) to get easy shots under the basket,” Larson said.
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The Cavaliers led 15-3 after the first quarter, and Sisseton, which finished with 26 turnovers, never recovered.
“We were able to speed up their guards and forced a lot of turnovers, especially early in the game,” Larson said. “It seemed like once we got the first couple (turnovers) things just kind of snowballed from there.”
Thursday, Jan. 16
- Northwestern held Ipswich to 13 first-half points and ran away for a 54-35 win in Ipswich. Ashley Haven led the way a game-high 21 points. Amanda Ratigan added 16 points ands eight rebounds for the Wildcats. Marley Guthmiller led the Tigers with a 10 points.
Tuesday, Jan. 14
- Wolsey-Wessington built a 35-7 halftime lead and eased past Aberdeen Christian 51-16. Shae Uttecht’s 16 points paced the Warbirds, while Jolie Fogarty finished with 10 for the Knights.
- Warner pulled away in the fourth quarter to record a 50-42 victory over Hitchcock-Tulare. Stacia Carda and Kenna Leidholt scored 18 and 13 points respectively to lead the Monarchs.
- North Central gave up just one point in the second quarter and six in the first half en route to a 34-22 triumph against Leola/Frederick. Amree Vander Vorst’s 17 points boosted the Thunder. The Titans were led by Arabella Clark’s 10 points.
Saturday, Jan. 11
- Adriana Ratigan scored 25 points and Northwestern used a 10-2 third quarter to upend Florence-Henry 53-31.
- Lennox used a 12-5 fourth-quarter run to defeat Groton 49-39. Libby Kranz netted 18 points for the Orioles. Taryn Traphagen and Rylee Dunker combined for 21 Groton points.
Friday, Jan. 10
- Stacia Carda scored 12 points to help boost Warner past North Central 32-24.
Thursday, Jan. 8
- Waverly-South Shore rolled to a 29-11 halftime lead en route to a 45-18 victory against Aberdeen Christian. Carlee Mushitz led three double-figure scorers for the Coyotes with 16 points. Jolie Fogarty led the Knights with 11 points.
- Warner rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Ipswich 49-45. Stacia Carda’s 19 points paced the Monarchs. Jalyssa Hutson finished with 13 points for Ipswich.
- Taryn Traphagen’s three-pointer with a second left lifted Groton to a 32-30 victory over Clark-Willow Lake. Rylee Dunker’s eight points led the Tigers.
- Ashley Haven scored 11 points as Northwestern held off Hitchcock-Tulare 43-42 to improve to 4-1.