Aberdeen Central struggled to find an offensive rhythm in its season finale Monday night, falling 53-46 to Sioux Falls Roosevelt at Golden Eagles Arena.

The win was the first of the season for the Rough Riders, who claimed the final spot in the SoDak 16 with that victory.

Central dropped from 11th to 13th in the standings following the loss.

“Roosevelt played hard and was playing for another game,” said Central coach Mikayla Arechigo. “It’s a tough loss on senior night with all our girls healthy.”

Central entered the game with a full slate of available players, but did see senior point guard Taryn Hettich go down with an apparent injury less than 30 seconds into the contest. Hettich walked off under her own power and did eventually return to the game, but the Rough Riders jumped in front in her absence and never let up.

“Taryn went down early and came back in,” Arechigo said, “but it just felt like we never could get into any kind of rhythm.”

Roosevelt hit nine 3-pointers in the game. All nine came from the trio of Katie Spicer, Madison Smalley and Morgan Johnson, and most came at critical junctions in the contest. Spicer and Johnson both hit buzzer beaters at the end of the first and third quarters, respectively, while Smalley had a big make to douse some Central momentum after the Golden Eagles had cut a 14-point Rough Rider lead to just two possessions in the fourth quarter.

Central, meanwhile, did not hit its first three of the game until about seven minutes to play in the game. The Golden Eagles were just 2 of 13 from beyond the arc.

Freshman Taryn Hermansen led Central with 17 points. Lauren Burckhard had eight points and nine rebounds, while Hettich finished with seven points and six assists before fouling out of her final career home game. Anna Malchow had six points on a pair of threes.

Spicer had 20 points to lead Roosevelt. Smalley added 17 and Johnson finished with eight.

Central will head to Sioux Falls for its SoDak 16 contest against Jefferson. The Golden Eagles played the second-ranked Cavaliers to a three-point loss last Friday.

“We have three days to get ready for our play-in game and hopefully be able to get into a better rhythm,” Arechigo said.

The Class AA SoDak 16 games are set for Friday at the higher seeds.

SIOUX FALLS ROOSEVELT (1-19): Brooklyn Koll 0 2-2 2, Madison Smalley 5 3-6 17, Katie Spicer 6 5-7 20, Morgan Johnson 3 0-1 8, Aubreigh McCall 2 0-0 4, Elisabat Assefa 1 0-0 2. Totals 17-45 10-16 53.

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (7-11): Anna Malchow 2 0-0 6, Taryn Hettich 3 1-2 7, Taryn Hermansen 5 7-8 17, Madison Miller 1 0-1 2, Grace Kuch 2 2-6 6, Lauren Burckhard 2 4-4 8. Totals 15-40 14-21 46.

Sioux Falls Roosevelt 15 20 36 53

Aberdeen Central 10 18 25 46

3-pt FG – Sioux Falls Roosevelt 9-18 (Smalley 4, Spicer 3, Johnson 2); Aberdeen Central 2-13 (Malchow 2). Fouled out – Miller, Hettich. Total fouls – Sioux Falls Roosevelt 17; Aberdeen Central 21. Rebounds – Sioux Falls Roosevelt 23 (Smalley 5, Spicer 5, Johnson 5); Aberdeen Central 37 (Burckhard 9). Assists – Sioux Falls Roosevelt 12 (Koll 6); Aberdeen Central 8 (Hettich 6). Turnovers – Sioux Falls Roosevelt 13; Aberdeen Central 18. Blocks – Sioux Falls Roosevelt 0; Aberdeen Central 5 (Kuch 3, Burckhard 2). Steals – Sioux Falls Roosevelt 8 (Spicer 3); Aberdeen Central 5 (Hermansen 2).