With the game on the line, Aberdeen Central rose the challenge, made plays and secured its first win of the season Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Eagles made 6 of 8 free throws in the final two minutes, while allowing just one point to finish off a 57-49 win over Yankton in Eastern South Dakota Conference boys’ basketball action at Golden Eagles Arena.

“It’s good to get a win at home,” said Central coach Brent Norberg. “We had a chance to kind of blow it open there a little bit and didn’t do it and let them back in, but the nice thing is we made plays down the stretch once that happened.”

The Golden Eagles led 46-34 with six minutes left before the Bucks eventually whittled the margin down to 50-48 with two minutes remaining.

From there, Jacob Weishaar and Luke Swanson both made two free throws and Colby Dauwen added another free throw and a game-ending layup as Central weathered the storm.

“They cut it to two and we just made some plays that we had to make,” Norberg said, “got some stops, made some free throws.”

As a result, the Golden Eagles were able to snap a four-game losing streak to start the season.

“We’ve had some close games,” Weishaar said, “but this feels good.”

Weishaar had his fingerprints all over the, finishing with a career-high 15 points to go along with a team-leading six rebounds.

“It’s probably my best game of the year,” Weishaar said. “I haven’t scored very much yet this year, but it feels good.”

Norberg had a discussion with the senior earlier this week and Weishaar responded in major way.

“I talked him this week. He’s a senior now,” Norberg said. “I think he’s kind of realzing now, I can’t just go out there. I’ve got to be a difference maker.”

A big factor in the game was Central’s ability to handle the full-court pressure defense of Yankton.

“We didn’t turn the ball over as much as the other games,” Weishaar said, “and we were making our shots.”

Norberg inserted Swanson into the starting linup and he was up the challenge.

“I’m really happy for Luke Swanson, young sophomore point guard that we put in,” Norberg said. “We started him there to kind of change our lineup. He did a great job, so good for him.”

Not only did Swanson handle the ball, he also made a big shot as Yankton was inching closer, nailing a 3-pointer with 3:52 left to briefly halt a Bucks run.

“To be a sophomore and get your first start at home against a team that’s going to pick you up full (court) the whole game and he handled it really good,” Norberg said. “The shots are great, but I’m just happy that he was able to take care of the ball for most of the game.”

And in the end, Central was able to walk off the court with its first win, earned by making plays when it mattered most.

“To be able to respond to that, I think we grew up a little bit that way,” Norberg said. “We didn’t panic. We slowed down, got to the foul line, and did what we needed to do.”

Brendan Phillips added 14 points to the Central total, and Swanson contributed 11.

The Golden Eagles made seven 3-pointers in the contest, including one by Weishaar to start the fourth quarter on a kick out pass that landed at his ankles with the shot-clock winding down.

“That one felt good, too, a guy in my face,” Weishaar said. “It might have been lucky.”

Central, 1-4 on the season, hosts second-rated Lincoln on Friday.

“They’re really, really good,” Norberg said. “If they’re not the best team, they’re really close to the best team.”

At least the Golden Eagles will take some confidence into that game from their win over Yankton.

“It will definitely bring a lot of confidence to our team,” Weishaar said following the victory, “so hopefully that can build up during the season.”

YANKTON (0-4): Carson Ness 5 0-0 12, Bryce Kral 2 2-2 6, Beck Ryken 1 1-2 3, Cohen Zahrbock 3 4-4 10, Owen Eidsness 3 0-0 7, Tegan LaCroix 1 0-0 3, Miles Drotzmann 2 0-0 4, Austin Conway 2 0-0 4. Totals 19-46 7-8 49.

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (1-4): Brendan Phillips 5 1-2 14, Luke Swanson 3 4-4 11, Colby Dauwen 2 2-4 6, Jacob Weishaar 5 3-4 15, Jack Bertsch 2 0-0 4, Michael Dutenhoffer 1 0-0 2, Turner Bergan 1 2-2 5. Totals 19-46 12-16 57.

Yankton 9 16 32 49

Aberdeen Central 11 23 39 57

3-point field goals – Ness 2, Eidsness, LaCroix; Phillips 3, Swanson, Weishaar 2, Bergan. Fouled out – Ryken. Total fouls – Yankton 15; Aberdeen Central 15. Rebounds – Yankton 26 (Zahrbock 8); Aberdeen Central 30 (Weishaar 6). Turnovers – Yankton 17; Aberdeen Central 18. Assists – Yankton 4; Aberdeen Central 10. Blocked Shots – Yankton 2; Aberdeen Central 1. Steals – Yankton 7 (Ness 3); Aberdeen Central 8 (Dauwen 3).