MITCHELL — The Golden Eagles of Aberdeen Central (9-6) came out swinging on Tuesday night and led Mitchell 20-15 after one quarter — but it was the Mitchell Kernels that came out on top 69-62 when the final buzzer sounded.
The Kernels outscored Aberdeen 19-13 in the second quarter to take a 34-33 lead into halftime.
Hinker exploded in the third quarter with 13 points, but the Golden Eagles held pace and trailed by just two points 54-52 heading into the fourth quarter.
Hinker finished with 30 points and nailed six 3-pointers — which was his fourth 30-plus point game of the season.
McCardle paced the Kernels in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of his 10 points. Steele Morgan added 10 points. Aiden Myers and Dylan Soulek had nine.
The Kernels (11-4) take on Sioux Falls Washington next Tuesday, Feb. 15, on the road. Pure Oldies 103.5 FM will have live play-by-play coverage of the game.