SIOUX FALLS – A slow start and a cold finish did not bode well for the Aberdeen Central girls’ basketball program against top-rated O’Gorman Tuesday night.
The fifth-rated Golden Eagles struggled to find an offensive rhythm and found themselves in a hole early. That deficit proved to be too deep for Central to overcome, as the Golden Eagles fell 64-27 to the Knights on the road.
O’Gorman, meanwhile, had no trouble getting off to a hot start, as it led 24-7 after the opening tip.
Central coach Mikayla Arechigo said turnovers played a key part in the Golden Eagles’ outcome.
“Turnovers have hurt us all season, and when we play good teams, we can’t overcome it no matter how many rebounds we have or how hard we play,” Arechigo said. “We have to make better reads and execute better.”
Central was led by Taryn Hermansen’s 13 points. The sophomore had the Golden Eagles’ lone field goal in the fourth quarter. Caydi Withers aed eight points, six of which came in the third quarter.
O’Gorman got a big performance from Mahli Abdouch, who buried five 3-pointers en route to a game-best 25 points. Paydyn Peterson chimed in with 11.
Central will head to Tea Area on Thursday before returning home Saturday afternoon to face Brandon Valley.
ABERDEEN CENTRAL (8-2): Taryn Hermansen 5 3-4 13, Lauryn Burckhard 1 1-2 3, Caydi Withers 3 0-1 8, Emma Dohrer 1 0-0 3, Kennadi Withers 0 0-2 0. Totals 10 4-9 27.
O’GORMAN (7-0): Paydyn Peterson 5 1-1 11, Lucy Moore 2 2-2 7, Mahli Abdouch 9 202 25, Clare Benson 1 0-0 2, Ruly Moore 3 0-0 7, Sydney TerVeen 3 1-2 7, Julia Eggert 0 1-2 1, Aweng Akoi 1 0-0 2, Lizzie Kattmen 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 7-9 64.
Aberdeen Central 7 13 25 27
O’Gorman 24 38 56 64
3-point field goals – Aberdeen Central 3 (C. Withers 2, Dohrer); O’Gorman 7 (L. Moore, Abdouch 5, R. Moore). Total Fouls – Aberdeen Central 9; O’Gorman 8.
