A strong second quarter was the difference at the Aberdeen Civic Arena on Friday night.

Potter County used a 14-4 second quarter to pull away from Aberdeen Christian for a 48-33 non-conference girls’ basketball win.

It was a low-scoring first quarter as both squads struggled to put points on the board. A lack of energy made the start that much harder for both teams.

“The energy, it wasn’t there,” Knights coach Cristian Martinez said. “It definitely wasn’t my team today.”

Christian senior Chloe Holt said illness contributed to the Knights sluggish first half.

“We are all kind of battling sickness right now, but we definitely slowed down and got tired,” Holt said.

After Christian took a 7-4 lead, the Battlers scored the final six points of the quarter and took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter. Potter County coach Tricia Heien said her team struggled to settle into the game early on.

“We were hoping to push the ball a little more and settle into our game,” Heien said. “It didn’t quite go the way we wanted, but also finishing the first quarter and having the lead, obviously, that’s what we were going for.”

Potter County used that first-quarter momentum to its advantage as it outscored the Knights 14-4 to pull away for a 24-11 halftime advantage. The Battlers used quick ball movement to create open shots and build the lead. The run included a pair of 3-pointers from Zoe Meinke, who had a school-record 10 3-pointers on Tuesday in a loss against Herreid-Selby Area.

“We definitely got a lot better ball movement,” Meinke said of the second-quarter run. “We started hitting some outside shots. They crowded the paint a little, so we had to improvise, but I think we got everyone involved very well.”

The Battlers continued to pull away in the third quarter, stretching their lead to as many as 19 points late in the period. Meinke said being aggressive helped extend her team’s lead.

“I think we just pushed the ball,” Meinke said. “Once we got a rebound, we turned and went, and I feel like we beat them down the court quite a bit.”

Meinke also noted that team speed comes into play when trying to push the ball up the court after rebounds.

“We have some really fast girls on the team, and I feel like that definitely helps us,” Meinke said.

Meanwhile, Christian was slowly getting into its groove as baskets began to fall in the third quarter.

“I think as shots started dropping, we made good passes, our confidence is going up,” Holt said. “So, we started to take more shots and do smarter things and just keep moving the ball.”

Despite the deficit, the Knights did not give up, cutting the Battlers 17-point lead down to a dozen before Potter County pulled away for the final score.

Martinez said Knights began to focus on one key element that allowed them to cut into the deficit.

“Pushing the ball,” Martinez said. “We took advantage of them when the basket is not guarded well, so we’ve got to run.”

Heien said the Battlers’ defense played a major role in holding off the Knights in the fourth quarter.

“I know it wasn’t our greatest defensive game,” Heien said, “but when we need to step up and get the steals and make the stops, we did.”

Meinke led the Battlers with 12 points on four 3-pointers, while Dannika Kaup finished with nine points. Kayden Cronin added eight to the total.

Potter County finished the regular season at 10-10, and will now get set for the Region 6B tournament next week. Heien said there will be adjustments made before the Battlers face Sully Buttes on Tuesday.

“Defense, we’re just a step behind at times, so just keeping on our toes,” Heien said. “Also on offense, looking to push the ball up the court a little bit and kind of get them in transition. I think we need to use that more. That’s going to help us to get some transition points going into regions.”

Holt led Aberdeen Christian with 14 points, while Chloe Bosma totaled seven.

The Knights (2-18) will host Waverly-South Shore on Monday in the opening round of the Region 1B tournament. Christian narrowly defeated the Coyotes 37-35 on Jan. 27, and Martinez said the team will be focusing on the fundamentals in preparation for the matchup.

“We have to get prepared for that one by keeping the ball in our hands, good passing, good defense,” Martinez said. “Try building that confidence.”

POTTER COUNTY (10-10): Peyton Stevens 2 0-0 4, Emma Schlachter 2 1-4 5, Olivia Mikkelsen 3 0-0 6, Kayden Cronin 3 2-2 8, Zoe Meinke 4 0-0 12, Dannika Kaup 4 1-2 9, Finlee Heien 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 4-8 48.

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (2-18): Jolie Fogarty 2 1-4 5, Sophia Fogarty 1 0-0 3, Chloe Holt 5 3-6 14, Chloe Bosma 4 1-4 7, Payton Skarin 2 0-0 4. Totals 14 5-14 33.

Potter County 10 24 38 48

Aberdeen Christian 7 11 21 33

3-point field goals – Meinke (4); Holt, Bosma. Total fouls – Potter County 12; Aberdeen Christian 11.