A 10-0 run by the second-ranked Mitchell Kernels covered the final three plus minutes of playing time and the win column for the Kernels, who evaded an upset bid from Aberdeen Central Tuesday night in an Eastern South Dakota Conference girls’ basketball contest at Golden Eagles Arena.

Central, which trailed at varying intervals throughout the night, used a strong push in the fourth quarter to close to within two points at 41-39 with just over three minutes to play.

Mitchell’s Lauren VanOvershelde, however, made a pair of 3-pointers and the Golden Eagles did not recover, dropping their fifth straight game and falling to 8-6 on the season. Mitchell remained unbeaten at 15-0.

“No one likes that feeling,” said Central freshman Lauryn Burckhard, who finished with a team-best 17 points. “I hated it. I hated feeling like we could have won. Three minutes left, we could have gone on a run, but then (Mitchell) got a big run.”

The Golden Eagles were hampered all game by turnovers, including several key miscues in the final stretch that thwarted Central’s scoring opportunities.

“We’ve had a couple (games) that feel like they got away,” said Central coach Mikayla Arechigo, “and then you look at the stats and when you have 27 turnovers, quite frankly, the game should get away from you.”

Still, the Golden Eagles made several defensive stands throughout the night plus had a 28-18 advantage on the boards. Mitchell’s Sawyer Stoebner finished with 20 points and Van Overschelde had 14, including the six late in the game. Addie Siemsen had just six points, well off her season average.

“We knew that (VanOverschelde) could get going,” Arechigo said. “We did a pretty good job on her early, and we did a pretty good job on Addie Siemsen; she’s their second leading scorer. It’s like we just can’t get a full game together.”

Burckhard said there is plenty of room – and motivation – for improvement before the Golden Eagles take the floor again.

“Our passing needs to be 100 percent better,” she said. “We can score. We can all score, but our turnovers aren’t doing so hot. We need to be better.”

Burckhard was the lone Golden Eagle in double figures. Taryn Hermansen finished with nine points and seven rebounds, but was hampered by some early foul trouble. Kaylee Donat came off the bench for five points and Emma Dohrer notched four points and six rebounds.

“Mitchell is a team that had a lot of success in the postseason last year and I think that’s really fueled how they are playing this season,” Arechigo said. “They play with a lot of focus and a lot of drive on those 50-50 balls that we just watched go out of bounds. They just have a little more of that grit and experience and drive than what we are showing right now.”

Central will look to get back in the win column Thursday night when the Golden Eagles head to Huron.

MITCHELL (15-0): Lauren VanOverschelde 5 0-0 14, Sawyer Stoebner 6 6-8 20, Carsyn Welch 1 0-0 3, Addie Siemsen 1 3-5 6, Allison Meyerink 2 2-4 6, Breanna Kirsch 1 0-0 2. Totals 16-38 11-17 51.

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (8-6): Ayrlie Waldo 0 0-2 0, Madison Miller 0 1-2 1, Caydi Withers 1 0-0 3, Lauryn Burckhard 7 1-1 17, Taryn Hermansen 5 1-2 9, Emma Dohrer 2 0-0 4, Kaylee DOnat 2 0-0 5. Totals 16-34 3-7 39.

Mitchell 15 21 38 51

Aberdeen Central 6 18 29 39

3-point field goals – VanOverschelde (4), Stoebner (2), Welch, Siemsen; Withers, Burckhard (2), Donat. Total fouls – Mitchell 14; Aberdeen Central 20. Rebounds – Mitchell 18 (Stoebner 4, Meyerink 4); Aberdeen Central 29 (Hermansen 7, Dohrer 6). Assists – Mitchell 12 (Stoebner 6); Aberdeen Central 12 (Ava Yeske 4). Turnovers – Mitchell 13; Aberdeen Central 27. Blocks – Mitchell 0; Aberdeen Central 2 (Burckhard, Hermansen). Steals – Mitchell 17 (Stoebner 9); Aberdeen Central 6 (Dohrer 4).