Aberdeen Central got off to a solid start, before Tea Area produced a stronger finish Saturday afternoon.

The Titans pulled away in the second half to record a 64-43 win over Central at Golden Eagles Arena. It was a big bounce back game for Tea Area, which lost to Sioux Falls Roosevelt by 27 points the night before.

The visitors outscored the Golden Eagles 21-11 in the third quarter to open an 18-point advantage.

“We gave up 21 points in the third and they put on that full-court press, and we didn’t adjust very well in terms of getting into our offense,” said Central coach Colton McClemans. “You have to find ways to get the ball in the middle and have a player who can see the floor and basket to find open players.”

Central also had a tough time with the physicality of the Titans when it came to rebounding.

“We got to a triangle and 2 and it’s really hard to rebound out of that,” McClemans said. “We were in position, but they’re a really physical team.”

Central got off to a strong start, leading 16–13 after the first quarter, but the momentum shifted as Tea Area increased its defensive pressure. The Titans’ full-court press forced turnovers and disrupted Central’s offensive rhythm, turning defense into scoring chances as the Titans built an eight-point halftime lead.

“We came out flat in the second quarter,” said Central’s Turner Bergan, “and I think they had the momentum coming in, and then it just went that way.”

Despite the rough stretch, Bergan finished with 11 points, finding success by attacking the basket.

“Just getting to the hole and doing the easy stuff,” he said.

He also pointed to some positives from a team perspective, particularly on defense.

“I think as a team, we know what we have to do,” Bergan said. “We also did really good face guarding their best player.”

Despite the loss, McClemans praised his team’s effort.

“Our kids are always playing hard, I think they’ve done a lot of good things,” McClemans said, “but offensively right now is where we’ve got to work the most.”

The Titans, who improved to 8-2 on the season, were also 16-of-21 from the free throw line, helping push their lead to as many as 26 points in the second half.

Grifin Wiebenga scored 21 points and Gavin Shawd contributed 17 to lead Tea Area.

Luke Swanson added eight points for the Golden Eagles, who fell to 1-7.

Central will host O’Gorman Tuesday night at Golden Eagles Arena.

TEA AREA (8-2): Gavin Shawd 5 4-7 17, Mitch Grant 6 1-1 13, Grifin Wiebenga 6 8-9 21, Kayden Williamson 2 2-2 6, Lane Sieber 2 0-0 4, Braden Smith 0 1-2 1, Trey Severin 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 16-21 64

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (1-7): Luke Swanson 3 2-2 8, Bryson Burgard 1 2-2 4, Turner Bergan 4 2-4 11, Brenner Waldrop 1 0-0 2, Quinn Rayman 1 0-0 3, Liam Rife 2 0-0 5, Gary Wade 1 0-4 2, Carter Board 2 0-0 5, Gavin Hauck 0 3-6 3. Totals 15 9-18 43 

Tea Area 13 31 52 64

Aberdeen Central 16 23 34 43

3-point field goals – Shawd 3, Wiebenga; Bergan, Rayman, Rife, Board. Total fouls – Tea Area 14; Aberdeen Central 21. Rebounds – Tea Area 33; Aberdeen Central 21 (Bertsch 8). Turnovers – Tea Area 11; Aberdeen Central 18. Assists – Tea Area 3; Aberdeen Central 3. Steals – Tea Area 10; Aberdeen Central 3.