Aberdeen put together a solid night of basketball on Tuesday against Centralia, but couldn’t finish what it had started at Sam Benn Gym.

After bolting out to a 15-6 first-quarter lead, the Bobcats were blanked in the second quarter and were unable to convert transition and turnover layups late in a 34-32 Evergreen 2A Conference loss to the Tigers in girls basketball.

Senior guard Dani Buckman nearly reversed the trend in the final seconds, getting an open three-point shot off a Reagan Glanz screen on the wing. However, the ball rattled the rim and kicked away as time expired.

“I told the kids that I couldn’t be more proud of their effort tonight,” AHS head coach Jeff Niemi said. “We got exactly what we wanted (in the fourth), but it was a matter of making them.”

The hosts got the ball with 26.9 seconds left and called time out. After running a play trying to find a lane to drive to the basket into, the Bobcats lost the ball. However, the Tigers were called for traveling to give the ball back to the Bobcats with 7.3 seconds left.

After another timeout, Aberdeen (1-2, 5-6) got the ball to Buckman, who drove to the right and got a screen from Glanz for an open-look 3-point shot. The ball rattled the rim, but fell away as time expired.

“Just the shots (didn’t fall) and that’s a big part of the game,” added Niemi, whose team had just 13 turnovers. “Our press-break offense has come a long way. We got baskets out of that. We got turnovers and transition baskets. They switched to a 1-3-1 zone and went cold. If we were able to make any shots, it is a different game. If we score any points in the second quarter, it is a different game.”

Aberdeen enjoyed a fruitful offensive first quarter against Centralia (1-2, 7-6), which couldn’t find its shooting range at the same time the hosts were hitting more than 50 percent of their shots.

The Bobcats used their press-break offense for easy layups and turned five Tiger turnovers into baskets and scoring opportunities. At the end of the first quarter, Aberdeen led 15-6.

It was the exact opposite in the second quarter — Centralia got its offense moving, while Aberdeen’s range was off-kilter. The Bobcats were 0-for-14 from the field, while the Tigers limited their turnovers and got the ball to 5-foot-11 center Ellie Corwin.

Using Corwin inside, Centralia got a 12-0 quarter to take an 18-15 halftime lead. The three-point margin stayed after the third quarter, with both teams adjusting and suffering through scoring droughts.

In the fourth, Aberdeen’s Angel Jones powered the hosts into the lead, 26-25, with a basket off a steal and a transition basket in the first minute of the quarter. Corwin hit a traditional 3-point play for a 28-26 Centralia lead.

Kyra Gallinger and Jillian Swor fought through the traffic inside for basket to give Aberdeen what would be its last lead, 30-28, with 4:45 left. Swor’s inside basket, also in traffic, with 3:07 remaining at 32-32 was the Bobcats’ final score of the night.

On the next possession, Corwin’s inside drive and layup gave Centralia a 34-32 lead with 2:50 left. A series of fouls and missed free throws set up the final series of plays to the end of the contest.

Corwin led all scorers with 16 points for Centralia. Glanz led Aberdeen in scoring with 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Jones added seven rebounds and five steals and was cited for her all-around game.

On Thursday, Aberdeen hosts Tumwater.

Centralia 6 12 7 9 — 34 Aberdeen 15 0 7 10 — 32

Centralia (34) — Poore, Jensen 2, Wilkerson 9, Porter, Kaut 7, Corwin 16, Erickson. FG — 13-44. FT — 6-11.

Aberdeen (32) — Buckman 4, Glanz 10, Gallinger 8, Walsh, Rabung 2, Swor 4, Jones 4, Roberts. FG — 14-56. FT — 2-5.

JV — Aberdeen 31, Centralia 30.