Aberdeen Central had five players with at least nine points to record its sixth straight win on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Eagles dominated the second half on the way to a 56-42 Eastern South Dakota Conference girls’ basketball victory over Tea Area at Golden Eagles Arena.

Central led by just three points at halftime before taking control in the final 16 minutes.

“I think we stuck to our strengths. Obviously, we know we’re going to draw a lot of attention in the post, so how can we utilize our post still and then still score on the outside and get positive things done,” said Golden Eagles coach Paiton Burckhard. “So, I just think figuring out where we are the most skilled and what we do best when teams try to take away where we would typically like to score. So, just adjusting to that pressure and doing the things that work the best for us.”

The Golden Eagles are known for their post presence, but the backcourt has been stepping up,  forcing major issues for opposing defenses.

“That’s something we’ve talked about a lot is our confidence in our guards, and telling them, you know if you want to be one of the best teams in the state, we have to be more than our postgame,” said Burckhard. “I think our guards have done an awesome job of stepping up, knocking down those shots with confidence and then contributing to do other things well on the court.”

Guard Emma Dohrer stepped up against the Titans, putting up 13 points in the first half, including three 3-pointers.

“It feels good, the momentum just got going and then it just carried on for everybody else,” said the junior guard. “It was just really cool to just see it carry on the whole game and just get us going.”

Dohrer became a main focus for the Titans in the second half, which opened up offense for other players like Ava Yeske, who scored all 10 of her points in the second half.

“The shots will be there, the shots will go. You just gotta keep going in transition and you gotta look for good shots,” said Dohrer. “You gotta look for other people’s shots.”

Taryn Hermansen also had a big second half for the Golden Eagles, scoring all nine of her points in the final 16 minutes, many of those coming on second chances.

“Those boards, when they’re shooting those shots, I make sure I’m on the backside and getting those boards and getting put backs is kind of where I thrive,” said Hermansen. “Doing that just gives me energy and everyone else a little more energy.”

Those offensive rebounds that turned into points helped separate the Golden Eagles from the Titans, and something Coach Burckhard has her girls focus on.

“That’s a mindset thing and we talk about that a lot. Like, you can either choose to go for an offensive rebound, or you cannot,” said Burckhard. “And a lot of times, you see us not choosing to do that. But when we do, awesome things happen.”

Hermansen walked away with 12 total rebounds, six on offense and six on defense.

Another factor for the Golden Eagles was the extra effort on defense to create steals and block shots. The Golden Eagles came away with eight of each against Tea Area.

“I love the blocked shots. That’s another thing that’s a mindset and just going out there and wanting to get that,” said Burckhard. “I think all of our blocks that we had were really smart ones and we used our length to our advantage. So that’s another thing that’s all effort.”

Dohrer was an example of that effort showcased by playing all but 52 seconds in the game. She even had her teammates bring her water while the first of two free throws were being shot to ensure she stayed in the game.

“I’ve been playing a lot recently, which I mean is good,” said Dohrer. “Extra reps, just always pushing myself to go harder and faster, and just never wanting to come out, too.”

Kenadi Withers added 12 points to the Central total, and Lauryn Burckhard added 10.

The Golden Eagles (7-1) will host unbeaten and top-rated O’Gorman on Tuesday, before traveling to 8-1 Brandon Valley on Saturday.

TEA AREA (4-7): Jaycie Babb 2 2-2 8, Anna Binde 3 4-4 12, Kya Haynes 2 2-6 7, Emma Lingren 3 2-3 8, Grace Bialas 1 0-0 2, Jayna Vanlaecken 1 0-0 2, Sienna Mork 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 10-15 41.

ABERDEEN CENTRAL (7-1): Kenadi Withers 5 2-4 12, Emma Dohrer 4 2-2 13, Lauryn Burckhard 4 2-2 10, Taryn Hermansen 4 1-1 9, Ava Yeske 3 2-2 10, Julia Malsam 0 2-2 2. Totals 20 11-15 56.

Tea Area 13 18 29 42

Aberdeen Central 12 21 39 56

3-point field goals – Babb 2, Binde 2, Haynes; Dohrer 3, Yeske 2. Total Fouls – Tea Area 18; Aberdeen Central 14. Rebounds – Tea Area 28 (Haynes & Mork 4); Aberdeen Central 36 (Hermansen 12). Turnovers – Tea Area 13; Aberdeen Central 13. Assists – Tea Area 6 (Mork 3); Aberdeen Central 12 (Kamdyn Borge 3, Dohrer 3). Steals – Tea Area 8 (Lingren 3); Aberdeen Central 8 (Withers 3). Blocks – Tea Area 1 (Mork 1); Aberdeen Central 8 (Burckhard 5).