A solid finish could not undo a rough start for Aberdeen Central Thursday night.

The Golden Eagles managed just three field goals in the opening half and eventually fell to Huron 64-40 in an Eastern South Dakota Conference boys’ basketball contest at Golden Eagles Arena.

Central made a pair of 3-pointers and was 5-of-6 at the free-throw stripe in the opening 16 minutes, but by then the visiting Tigers had built a 32-13 halftime advantage.

While the Golden Eagles could not mount a serious comeback, they battled Huron to near-even terms on the scoreboard in the second half thanks to a strong showing from their bench. Central’s reserves accounted for 18 points in the contest.

“I think that’s one positive thing you can look at tonight. The kids continue, no matter what I ask them to do, to step up and try do to the things that I’m asking,” said Central coach Colton McClemans. “They’re starting to kind of figure out their roles and what they need to do for us be successful. It’s always encouraging, especially when you’re playing such a young bench.”

Sophomore Carter Board produced six points off the bench. He said he watches the defense so that when he gets into the game, he knows when and where to attack.

“When you’re on the bench and you’re really paying attention, you can see who’s the weak point of their defense,” Board said. “You can see who’s not playing the same as everyone else. When you take it in like that, like the way I did, I got two free throws at first and then I got that 3 (which resulted in two free throws), … I was just looking for it, I wanted to score.”

Central also received contributions off the bench from Brenner Waldrop down low. The junior scored on a pair of left-handed shots in the paint.

“I just try to make the most of the opportunities I get inside,” Waldrop said. “Kind of make a good move, finish.”

Those left-handed attempts are something that Waldrop has spent time refining.

“It’s a lot of work, obviously being a right-handed guy, working on the left,” Waldrop said. “It takes a lot of work, but I’m getting there.”

Luke Swanson led Central with 13 points.

While the Golden Eagles were down double-digits from early second quarter on, they never stopped competing the entire way.

“I always challenge them to play hard no matter what the situation is,” McClemans said. “I thought they did that tonight and they’ve done it every game this year.”

That all-out effort is something that is not lost on the Central players.

“We’re trying to change the culture here. We just got a new coach.,” Board said. “McClemans is doing an awesome job. I think our willingness to do that second half, if we just get that first half going, I think we could do great.”

Huron, which played without all-state player Blake Ellwein who had a recent surgery to remove his appendix, received 15 points apiece from Myles Ellwein and Davis Chase, and 12 points and 13 rebounds from Anderson Porisch.

Central, 1-15 on the season, plays at Watertown on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles pushed the Arrows to the brink in a contest earlier this season.

“I think that’s encouraging,” McClemans said, “because our kids know that we can play with the best of teams. We’ve just got to put a full game together here and find a way a way to get some wins.”

Despite a season where wins have been difficult to come by, the Golden Eagles are not ready to concede anything.

“The biggest thing is just playing hard,” Waldrop said. “The scoreboard’s an external factor. The internal factors are your toughness and how hard you’re playing, and that’s everything you can control. You can’t control if your shots are falling.”

HURON (13-4): Myles Ellwein 5 0-0 15, Mason Jurgens 1 1-2 4, Anderson Porisch 4 3-3 12, Davis Chase 6 3-4 15, Carter Porisch 4 0-0 8, James Shoultz 1 0-0 2, Chase Schuchhardt 2 0-0 6, Ty Kleinsasser 1 0-0 2. Totals 24-49 7-10 64.

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (1-15): Luke Swanson 4 4-5 13, Bryson Burgard 1 0-0 3, Kalen Larson 1 0-0 3, Jack Bertsch 0 0-2 0, Gavin Hauck 0 3-4 3, Austin Ryan 2 0-0 5, Brenner Waldrop 2 0-0 4, Quinn Rayman 1 0-0 3, Carter Board 1 4-5 6. Totals 12-44 11-16 40.

Huron 12 32 50 64

Aberdeen Central 5 13 28 40

3-point field goals – Ellwein 5, Jurgens, A. Porisch, Schuchhardt 2; Swanson, Burgard, Larson, Ryan, Rayman. Fouled out – C. Porisch. Total fouls – Huron 14; Aberdeen Central 13. Rebounds – Huron 41 (A. Porisch 13); Aberdeen Central 22 (Swanson 3, Burgard 3, Ben Weishaar 3). Turnovers – Huron 15; Aberdeen Central 13. Assists – Huron 13 (A. Porisch 6); Aberdeen Central 4. Blocked shots – Huron 1 (Ellwein); Aberdeen Central 1 (Bertsch). Steals – Huron 5 (A. Porisch 2); Aberdeen Central 9 (Swanson 2, Burgard 2, Bertsch 2).