SIOUX FALLS – Aberdeen Central faced an early deficit it could never dig out of on Saturday afternoon as the Golden Eagles fell to fourth-seeded Sioux Falls Roosevelt 54-36 in Class AA SoDak 16 boys’ basketball action.

The hosts opened the contest on a 9-2 run thanks to solid shooting, while Central struggled to make shots. The Golden Eagles finished the game shooting just 26 percent from the field, compared to nearly 48 percent for the Rough Riders.

“We could not get shots to go down consistently,” Central coach Brent Norberg said.

Roosevelt took a 17-5 lead into the second quarter, but unlike the first matchup just 11 days prior in Aberdeen where the Golden Eagles fought back from a first-quarter deficit to take a halftime lead, the Rough Riders held onto their lead, owning a 25-16 advantage heading into the locker room.

Despite attempts to climb back into the contest in the second half, Central could not overcome the deficit as Roosevelt eventually stretched its lead to the final 18-point margin of difference.

“(The) kids played hard, we just couldn’t score the ball,” Norberg said.

The Rough Riders (15-6), who now advance to the Class AA State Tournament in Sioux Falls, were led by Naser Ismail with 15 points, while Isaiah Garang had 10. Hayden Goff added nine points and led Roosevelt with eight rebounds. The Rough Riders will take on cross-town foe Sioux Falls Washington in the opening round of the State AA Tournament Thursday in Sioux Falls.

Central was led by Parker Lemer with 13 points, while Brendan Phillips totaled 10. Grant Fritz led the team with eight rebounds.

The Golden Eagles ended their season with an 8-13 record.

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (8-13): Jett Carlson 2 0-0 5, Parker Lemer 5 2-2 13, Brendan Phillips 4 1-3 10, Grant Fritz 1 2-4 4, Camden Fauth 1 0-0 3, Colby Dauwen 0 1-2 1. Totals 13 6-11 36.

SIOUX FALLS ROOSEVELT (15-6): Naser Ismail 6 2-2 15, Hayden Goff 3 3-3 9, Logan Nielsen 3 0-0 6, Isaiah Garang 4 0-0 10, Akeem Moko 0 0-2 0, Memphis Bylander 2 1-2 6, Tayden Nave 1 0-0 2, Jamre Tiger 2 0-0 6. Totals 21 6-9 54.

Aberdeen Central 5 16 25 36

Sioux Falls Roosevelt 17 25 39 54

3-point field goals – Carlson, Lemer, Phillips, Fauth; Garang (2), Tiger (2), Ismail, Bylander. Total fouls – Aberdeen Central 11; Sioux Falls Roosevelt 16. Rebounds – Aberdeen Central 23 (Fritz 8); Sioux Falls Roosevelt 35 (Goff 8). Turnovers – Aberdeen Central 5; Sioux Falls Roosevelt 11. Assists – Aberdeen Central 1 (Dauwen). Blocks – Aberdeen Central 1 (Cam Olson); Sioux Falls Roosevelt 1 (Goff). Steals – Aberdeen Central 7 (Lemer 2, Fritz 2, Dauwen 2); Sioux Falls Roosevelt 1 (Garang).