Aberdeen Christian came out firing from the start and prevented any thoughts of an upset to begin Region 1B boys’ basketball action Tuesday night at the Civic Arena.

The seventh-rated Knights scored 15 points in the first four and half minutes, and grabbed a 58-47 win over Waverly-South Shore.

“I felt like our offense really flowed well there the first four minutes of the game,” said Christian coach Matt Rohrbach.

The Knights bolted out to a 15-3 lead and the margin only got under double digits the rest of the night briefly to start the second quarter. Dylan Hofer and Luke Kaiser each had six of the team’s first 12 points.

“I think that our whole thing going into the game was start off with energy and try to build up that energy throughout the postseason, and just get on a roll from the start,” Kaiser said.

While Christian didn’t convert on all of its possessions, the Knights moved the ball well which created high-percentage opportunities

“We took a lot of the right shots, like inside out,” said Christian’s Brooks Jett. “We weren’t forcing much. … We all get a little antsy to shoot sometimes. We knew what we could do and played to our ability.”

The Knights’ shooting barrage put the Coyotes into an early hole and set the tone for the rest of the evening.

“They came out and I think they made five straight,” said Waverly-South Shore senior Kyle Kneeland. “It was like wow, these guys are 6-5 and shooting 3’s like Steph (Curry).”

Christian’s fast start erased any thoughts of a Coyotes upset like two years ago when they came into the Arena and knocked the Knights out of the playoffs.

“That was one of the most fun games of my life,” Kneeland said.

This time, it was the Knights who were having fun.

Jett took a pass from Kaiser on a fastbreak, soared high and threw down a vicious one-handed dunk on top of a WSS defender late in the opening half.

“I thought he was going to wait to pass it to me, as soon as I saw him get it, I took off,” Jett said. “I want the ball. If he was under the rim or not, I was going for it. Miss or make, I was going to try.”

While the Knights eventually opened a 20-point advantage, the margin never came close to a running clock.

“Credit to Waverly. They played a really good game,” Rohrbach said. “We knew kind of who their shooters were, but they still hit shots.”

Kneeland, who is headed to Dakota State next fall to play linebacker for the Trojans, had 17 points to lead the Coyotes. Austin Hovitek followed with 11, and Martin Mickelson added nine.

Kaiser had 17 points, Jett 15, and Hofer 12 for the Knights, who came into the postseason after a hard-fought setback to seventh-rated Class A Groton last weekend.

“Honestly, Groton is probably the best team we’ll play all year, so it really prepares us for the postseason well,” Kaiser said. “Our whole mindset now is just winning every possession … moving the ball good and getting good looks.”

Christian was playing in the Civic Arena for just the fourth time all season. The Knights play the majority of their games at their school.

“I love playing in the Civic. The Civic is my favorite place to play,” Kaiser said. “I wish we had more games here.”

Christian, 18-3, gets another chance to play in the legendary facility when it hosts Warner in the region semifinals at 7 Friday night. The two teams met there to start the season back in December, resulting in a 19-point victory by the Knights.

When asked what it will take to have continued success in the post season, Rohrbach responded, “Win possessions, be together, continue to have high energy, and believe in each other.”

WAVERLY-SOUTH SHORE (4-18): Martin Mickelson 4 1-2 9, Haiden Gilmour 2 0-0 5, Kyle Kneeland 5 5-6 17, Austin Hovitek 5 0-0 11, Spencer Ries 1 0-0 2, Case Hulscher 1 0-0 3. Totals 18-55 6-8 47

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (18-3): Jett Johnson 1 0-0 3, Dylan Hofer 5 1-2 12, Grady Jett 2 0-0 4, Luke Kaiser 6 2-2 17, Brooks Jett 7 1-2 15, Raymond Rodriguez-Martinez 1 0-0 2, Charles Eichler 2 0-0 5. Totals 24-59 4-6 58.

Waverly-South Shore 8 20 33 47

Aberdeen Christian 15 34 53 58

3-point field goals – Gilmour, Kneeland 2, Hovitek, Hulscher; Johnson, Hofer, Kaiser 3, Eichler. Total fouls – Waverly-South Shore 9; Aberdeen Christian 10. Rebounds – Waverly-South Shore 30 (Hovitek 8, Ries 8, Kneeland 7); Aberdeen Christian 42 (B, Jett 12, Hofer 11). Turnovers – Waverly-South Shore 11; Aberdeen Christian 10.