The Thunderbirds erased an early 14-point deficit but couldn't complete a late comeback in Friday night's 61-53 Eastern Missouri Conference loss to the Indians.
North Callaway (6-14, 2-4 EMO) trailed 19-9 after one quarter and was eventually down 23-9, before countering with a 14-0 run to tie the game. Elsberry scored just before the second quarter ended to take a 26-24 lead into halftime.
The Indians then outscored the Thunderbirds 17-8 in the third quarter to widen their advantage to 43-32. North Callaway rallied again to pull within a point with about 2 minutes to play, but Elsberry was able to preserve the victory.
"We got down too much early and used up so much energy coming back," Thunderbirds head coach Matt Thomas said. "The kids battled back and played hard; we were right there (at the end)."
Senior guard Brandon Hagedorn topped three North Callaway players in double figures with 18 points, including three 3-pointers. Senior forward Michael Pezold followed with 16 points and five rebounds, while senior center Steven Coleman provided 12 points and a team-high six rebounds.
Terrez Blair - who was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line - tallied a game-high 29 points for Elsberry (6-15, 3-3). Tyler Turnbull also had 10 points, including a pair of 3s.
The Thunderbirds remain on the road for an EMO contest at Wright City at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.