Aberdeen Christian took an early lead and held off Waverly-South Shore for a 37-35 non-conference girls’ basketball win at the Civic Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The win was the second consecutive for the Knights, something coach Cristian Martinez was excited about.

“It feels great,” Martinez said. “We keep working. I know we had our ups and downs in this game, but hey, a win is a win and we have to celebrate.”

However, the win did not come easy for the Knights. Down by as many as 18 points in the third quarter and facing a 37-22 deficit entering the fourth, Waverly-South Shore outscored Aberdeen Christian 13-0 in the final period to pull to within two points in the final minute.

Waverly-South Shore freshman Carlee Mushitz said the Coyotes fought hard to make the fourth-quarter push.

“We honestly just fought as hard as we possibly could,” Mushitz said. “We were making our threes, shooting our shots, making everything we could. I think we just all got such a big adrenaline rush that we just knew we couldn’t give up.”

The comeback came after a sluggish start for the Coyotes. Aberdeen Christian opened up the game leading 8-2 after one quarter and continued to build that lead in the second period, despite losing senior Sophia Fogarty in the first half with an injury.

“We really worked as a team in the first half, and then Sophia Fogarty, she got injured,” Knights freshman Payton Skarin said. “So, I think we got a little bit tired, but then we pushed through and we got our rhythm back.”

The Knights used an aggressive offense to build the lead, including driving to the basket and cutting to the basket to receive passes for lay-ups.

“The first three quarters were great for us,” Martinez said. “It’s 32 minutes and just five or six players, so today we just managed six players, so it’s very small. I know they are tired and working hard, but they never stop playing.”

Meanwhile, Waverly-South Shore was struggling to put quality possessions together on offense.

Coyotes coach Kelsey Hannigan said the team was trying to find its rhythm in the first half.

“Just trying to find a rhythm amongst the girls as a whole,” Hannigan said. “It took us a little bit to find that rhythm, and then once we did, we went from there.”

Before Waverly-South Shore could find its rhythm, Aberdeen Christian looked as if it would pull away. After a Coyotes basket opened the third quarter, the Knights proceeded to go on a 10-0 run to take a 35-17 lead, with Skarin scoring eight consecutive points in that span, including a four-point play. The freshman described her mentality during the scoring run.

“I really just tried to focus on making good passes and cutting and just trying to get my shots in,” Skarin said. “Luckily, I got fouled on that three so I could shoot a free-throw, and that helped.”

Despite the large lead for the Knights, Waverly-South Shore climbed back into the contest and took the game down to the final possession. The Coyotes had one final possession with 16 seconds remaining when Hannigan called a timeout to set up the final play.

“I was just trying to draw out the defense to hopefully look inside to get that two-point bucket to tie it up,” Hannigan said.

However, the Knights were prepared as they deflected a pass after the ball was inbounded, forcing a turnover, and eventually running out the clock.

Skarin ended the game with nine points, while Chloe Holt and Chloe Bosma each had 12 points.

Mushitz led Waverly-South Shore (0-14) with 14 points, and said there were positives to take away that the Coyotes can use when they travel to Estelline-Hendricks on Tuesday.

“This is the best game we’ve had this season,” Mushitz said. “We worked as a team, and so now that we know that we can do that, we’ve got to continue to do that throughout the rest of our season.”

The Knights (2-10) will attempt to continue their winning streak when they travel to North Central on Tuesday. Martinez said the team will look to move forward into the next contest.

“Now we’re looking for the next game and continue practicing and doing all the things that we did today,” Martinez said. “We’re going to touch base for the next one.”

WAVERLY-SOUTH SHORE (0-14): Sidney Stricherz 2 0-0 4, Capri Schroeder 1 0-0 2, Jaina Johnson 3 0-0 7, Carlee Mushitz 6 2-2 14, Marlie Riter 2 0-0 5, Emily Heuer 1 0-0 3. Totals 15 2-2 35.

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (2-10): Bailey Hunstad 1 0-2 2, Jolie Fogarty 1 0-0 2, Chloe Holt 4 3-4 12, Chloe Bosma 5 2-6 12, Payton Skarin 3 2-3 9. Totals 14 7-15 37.

Waverly-South Shore 2 15 22 35

Aberdeen Christian 8 25 37 37

3-point field goals – Johnson, Riter, Heuer; Holt, Skarin. Total fouls – Waverly-South Shore 17; Aberdeen Christian 11.