Aberdeen Central claimed its second win of the season in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon, taking Tea Area to overtime before coming away with a 50-46 non-conference girls’ basketball victory at Golden Eagles Arena.

“The effort the girls put in to pull off this win was incredible,” said Central coach Mikayla Arechigo. “They never gave up on each other and came together. They bring that camaraderie and energy every day to practice, and it’s rewarding and well-deserved for them to get a win.”

After a roller-coaster fourth quarter, Tea Area had the ball and the lead with under 10 seconds to play. The Titans drew a foul and went to the line for two shots and a chance to extend its 38-37 advantage.

The Titans, however, missed both free throws and opened the door for Golden Eagle speedster Taryn Hettich to drive the length of the floor and draw a foul and a trip to the line with a half-second remaining.

Hettich missed the first of those two opportunities, but drained the second one to force the overtime period.

“I had a chance to put us ahead, but obviously, I missed that first one,” Hettich said. “But I just cleared my mind, reset, and told myself it was going to go in.”

In overtime, it was Hettich again coming up with a couple big plays, draining a three-pointer, then hitting a layup on the subsequent possession to give the Golden Eagles a six-point cushion.

That cushion proved vital, as Tea Area fought all the way back to within one at 47-46 with under a minute to play.

Central added three more free throws – three from Anna Malchow with 26 seconds remaining and one more from Hettich after Tea Area was called for an intentional foul with the clock winding down.

“We had contributions from all over the court, but Taryn Hettich willed the girls to this victory,” Arechigo said. “The girls respond so well to her energy. She is such a great leader for us. All the seniors are.”

Tea Area did get the ball back with 6.1 seconds left, but could not get a shot off in time, leaving Central with the win.

“It’s huge,” Hettich said of the victory. “It was a great all-around team win.”

Taryn Hermansen finished with 17 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive end of the floor. Hettich added 16 points and three assists. Caydi Withers tallied seven points and eight boards before fouling out of the contest.

Tea Area was led in scoring by Mara Grant, who had 22 points before also fouling out. Kendra McKinney finished with 10 points.

The win is Central’s first on its home floor, as the Golden Eagles move to 2-5 on the season. Central will host O’Gorman Tuesday.

“It tastes good right now, but I think we need to go in Monday morning with a new mindset for Tuesday,” Hettich said.

TEA AREA: Kendra McKinney 4 0-3 10, Miah Weber 1 1-3 3, Haidyn West 0 2-3 2, Mara Grant 8 6-9 22, Stella Peterson 2 2-6 6, Ellie Clayberg 1 0-0 3. Totals 16-52 11-23 46.

ABERDEEN CENTRAL: Anna Malchow 1 2-2 5, Taryn Hettich 4 6-10 15, Sydney Evans 0 0-1 0, Caydi Withers 3 0-0 7, Taryn Hermansen 8 1-2 17, Madison Miller 0 0-2 0, Lauren Burckhard 2 2-2 6. Totals 18-58 11-19 50.

Tea Area 12 23 30 38 46

Aberdeen Central 8 22 28 38 50

3-point field goals – McKinney 2, Clayberg; Malchow, Hettich, Withers. Fouled out – West, Grant; Withers, Hermansen. Total fouls – Tea Area 21; Aberdeen Central 23. Rebounds – Tea Area 35 (West 6, Grant 6); Aberdeen Central 52 (Hermansen 21, Withers 8). Turnovers – Tea Area 17; Aberdeen Central 25. Assists – Tea Area 6 (Peterson 4); Aberdeen Central 11 (Hettich 3). Blocked shots – Tea Area 2; Aberdeen Central 2. Steals – Tea Area 6; Aberdeen Central 10.