SPEARFISH – Aberdeen Central used a 20-8 third-quarter surge to pull away from Spearfish on the way to a 50-37 non-conference girls’ basketball victory Friday night.

The win was not only the first of the season for the Golden Eagles, but also the first one for new head coach Mikayla Arechigo.

“This was a great win for the team,” Arechigo said. “The girls came out and competed hard, which isn’t always easy to do after a long bus trip.”

The Eagles led by just one point at the break before the pivotal third period.

Kyra Griese led the Central offense with 18 points. Kiana Mounga and Taryn Hettich each contributed 13. Karly Wellman and Mounga each had six rebounds, while Abby Berry hit a three-pointer to go along with a pair of steals.

“We had solid minutes from our starters,” Arechigo said. “Kiana Mounga was a force inside, Kyra Griese did a nice job getting us organized offensively, and Taryn Hettich was relentless on the defensive end. Karly Wellman and Abby Berry played solid minutes for us as well.”

Central, which plays at Sturgis this afternoon, still has things to work on, according to Arechigo. The Eagles were outrebounded by six against Spearfish.

“Our rebounding wasn’t where it needs to be and we need to work on our transition defense” Arechigo said. “Our Sturgis game is a quick turnaround, so we’ll have a chance to improve in those areas yet this weekend.”

ABERDEEN CENTRAL: Karly Wellman 1 0-0 2, Abby Berry 1 0-0 3, Kiana Mounga 4 5-6 13, Taryn Hettich 5 2-3 13, Kyra Griese 5 6-13 18, Anna Malchow 0 1-2 1. Totals 16-35 14-24 50.

SPEARFISH: Stella Marcus 4 0-1 9, Brylee Grubb 2 5-7 9, Taylor Duncan 1 2-5 4. Mya Kochuten 1 0-2 3, Sofie Guthmiller 2 0-2 4, Jozie Dana 3 0-2 6, Sierra West 1 0-0 2. Totals 14-43 7-19 37.

Aberdeen Central 11 19 39 50

Spearfish 12 18 26 37

3-point field goals – Berry, Hettich, Griese 2; Grubb 5, Duncan 2. Fouled out – Duncan. Total fouls – Aberdeen Central 20; Spearfish 19. Rebounds – Aberdeen Central 26 (Wellman 6, Mounga 6); Spearfish 32 (Grubb 8). Turnovers – Aberdeen Central 10; Spearfish 14. Assists – Aberdeen Central 4 (Hettich 3); Spearfish 7 (Duncan 3). Steals – Aberdeen Central 5 (Berry 2, Griese 2); Spearfish 3 (Marcus 2).