MITCHELL – Aberdeen Central climbed up the hill, but could not reach the other side Saturday night.

The Golden Eagles had their three-game winning streak snapped in a 54-49 non-conference boys’ basketball game against Thunder Basin, Wyo., during the Hoop City Classic at the Corn Palace.

“We struggled scoring the ball. We couldn’t get many easy baskets,” said Central coach Brent Norberg. “Defensively, we were good for the most part. We made a couple of mistakes and they made us pay for it.”

Central trailed by nine points late in the third quarter before Camden Fauth hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to slice the margin to 45-39 heading into the final period.

The Eagles inched closer as Thunder Basin failed to score for more than four-and-half minutes. Central eventually tied the score at 47-47 with 2:52 remaining on a steal by Brenden Phillips, who converted it into a conventional three-point play. However, the Bolts nailed a 3-pointer just 15 seconds later for a lead they never lost.

Central, which managed just two points in the final 2:30 of the game, had two possessions when trailing by just one point, but was unable to convert before Thunder Basin made four straight foul shots in the final eight seconds to ice the win.

“The kids played hard,” Norberg said, “but we have to execute better offensively.”

Gibson Williams scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Bolts.

Fauth had 14 points to lead Central, while Phillips contributed 10.

The Golden Eagles, 4-2 on the season, host Sioux Falls Washington on Thursday night at Golden Eagles Arena.

“They will be athletic,” Norberg said. “We will have to play much better offensively against them.”

THUNDER BASIN (5-4): Brayden New 1 2-2 5, Gibson Williams 9 3-4 25, Riley Schilling 0 0-2 0, Josh Klassen 4 0-2 8, Bodie Williams 2 0-0 5, Karver Partlow 3 3-4 10. Totals 19-42 8-14 53.

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (4-2): Oliver Rife 1 0-0 2, Jett Carlson 1 2-2 5, Parker Lemer 2 0-0 4, Camden Fauth 5 0-0 14, Grant Fritz 3 2-2 8, Donnie Soderlund 1 0-0 2, Cooper Eisenbeisz 0 1-2 1, Brenden Phillips 3 3-3 10, Cam Olson 0 3-4 3. Totals 16-46 11-13 49.

Thunder Basin 9 23 45 53

Aberdeen Central 11 20 39 49

3-point field goals – New, G. Williams (4), B. Williams, Partlow; Carlson, Fauth (4), Phillips. Total fouls – Thunder Basin 17; Aberdeen Central 19. Rebounds – Thunder Basin 23 (G. Williams 6); Aberdeen Central 34 (Fritz 8). Turnovers – Thunder Basin 8; Aberdeen Central 12. Assists – Thunder Basin 9 (B. Williams 4); Aberdeen Central 9 (Lemer 4). Blocked Shots – Thunder Basin 1 (B. Williams); Aberdeen Central 1 (Fritz). Steals – Thunder Basin 4; Aberdeen Central 1.