MITCHELL – A slow start and a tough shooting night proved to be the undoing of the Aberdeen Central boys’ basketball program Tuesday night, as the Golden Eagles fell 54-34 in Eastern South Dakota Conference play at the new Munsen Center.

The Golden Eagles spotted the host Kernels a 21-5 lead following the opening quarter before settling into a near-even pace the rest of the way. But that early deficit proved too much to overcome.

“Offensively, we struggled with a different lineup to try to match their size,” said Central coach Colton McClemans. “It took us a while to find any rhythm. We got some open shots in the second half, but struggled to knock them down and try to climb back into it.”

Part of that size advantage for Mitchell included Colton Smith, who finished the game going 13-for-19 from the field, good for 28 points.

“Defensively we switched to a 2-3 (zone) in the second quarter and played it the rest of the game,” McClemans said. “I thought it did a good job of getting Mitchell to settle for outside shots, but we struggled to come up with rebounds on the first shot.”

Luke Swanson was the lone Golden Eagle to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points. Bryson Burgard added seven.

Central, 1-14, will look to rebound Thursday when it hosts Huron for another ESD contest. That game is set for a 7 p.m. start at Golden Eagles Arena.

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (1-14): Luke Swanson 3 4-5 10, Bryson Burgard 2 2-3 7, Kalen Larson 1 0-0 2, Jack Bertsch 2 0-0 5, Austin Ryan 2 0-0 4, Eli Franks 1 0-0 2, Carter Board 1 0-0 2, Gavin Hauck 1 0-0 2. Totals 13-52 6-8 34.

MITCHELL (7-8): Colton Smith 13 2-3 28, Collin Weier 2 1-2 5, Lincoln Bottum 1 0-0 3, Owen Raml 4 2-3 12, Carter McCormick 1 0-0 3, Owen Schelske 1 0-0 2, Luke LeBrun 0 1-2 1. Totals 22-55 6-12 54.

Aberdeen Central 5 15 23 34

Mitchell 21 34 45 54

3-pt field goals – Burgard, Bertsch; Bottum, Raml 2, McCormick. Total fouls – Aberdeen Central 13; Mitchell 11. Rebounds – Aberdeen Central 27 (Bertsch 7, Swanson 4); Mitchell 39 (Smith 10, Weier 10). Assists – Aberdeen Central 2; Mitchell 12 (Kendan Skinner 3). Turnovers – Aberdeen Central 13; Mitchell 15. Blocks – Aberdeen Central 0; Mitchell 3 (Smith 2). Steals – Aberdeen Central 13 (Swanson 4); Mitchell 7 (Smith 3, Weier 3).