STURGIS – Aberdeen Central jumped in front early, had a solid defensive effort and remained unbeaten with a 59-33 non-conference girls’ basketball win over Sturgis on Saturday afternoon.

The fifth-rated Golden Eagles set the tone in the opening quarter when they built a 17-3 advantage. The margin steadily grew as Caydi Withers put on a shooting display from long distance, nailing eight three-point field goals on the way to a game-high 24 points.

“Caydi Withers shot the ball well, and Taryn Hermansen was great on the boards,” said Central coach Mikayla Arechigo. “Our solid defensive effort was led by Madi Miller. Early on this season we talked about her role as a defensive stopper and she has embraced that role in a big way.”

After surrendering just three points in the opening quarter, the Eagles allowed just six points in the final period. Arechigo said it was a team effort.

“Emma Dohrer, Kaylee Donat, and Arylie Waldo have been improving and stepping up defensively as well,” Arechigo said. “We still have a lot to improve on defensively.”

Hermansen finished with 18 points on the day, and Lauryn Burckhard contributed eight as Central swept its weekend West River trip after a win at Spearfish on Friday night.

“We have some injuries and some girls not feeling well,” Arechigo said, “so coming away with two wins was nice.”

The Eagles, 4-0 on the season, open their Eastern South Dakota Conference campaign by hosting Yankton on Thursday night at Golden Eagles Arena.

“Yankton is a great team, and it’s going to be a tough game for us,” Arechigo said. “Every game in AA basketball is a battle. We can’t get ahead of ourselves and need to focus on making progress as a team each opportunity we have.”

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (4-0): Ayrlie Waldo 2 1-1 6, Kenadi Withers 0 1-2 1, Emma Dohrer 1 0-0 2, Caydi Withers 8 0-0 24, Lauryn Burckhard 4 0-1 8, Taryn Hermansen 7 4-6 18. Totals 22 6-10 59.

STURGIS (0-2): Taylor Price 1 0-0 2, Hannah Killinger 2 2-4 6, Addisyn Jolley 2 0-0 4, Tori Williams 4 2-5 12, Avreigh Long 2 0-0 6, Leigha Long 0 1-2 1, Addy Kossler 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 5-11 33.

Aberdeen Central 17 33 48 59

Sturgis 3 15 27 33

3-point field goals – Waldo, C. Withers (8); Williams (2), A. Long (2). Total fouls – Aberdeen Central 14; Sturgis 12.