WRIGHT CITY - The North Callaway Thunderbirds connected on 4-of-8 free throws in the final 40 seconds to outlast the Wright City Wildcats for a 56-53 Eastern Missouri Conference triumph Tuesday night.
North Callaway (7-14, 3-4 EMO) was down 11-5 after one quarter, but answered by outscoring Wright City 19-9 in the second quarter to take a 24-20 halftime lead. The Thunderbirds led 40-37 entering the fourth quarter and held on for the victory as the two teams battled to a 16-16 standoff over the last 8 minutes.
"It was ugly but it was a win, and it's always good to have a road win," North Callaway head coach Matt Thomas said. "We made just enough free throws at the end to win against a good team."
Senior forward Michael Pezold recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds to direct the Thunderbirds. Freshman guard Coy Danison chipped in with 10 points.
Ty Davis topped Wright City (11-12, 3-4) with a game-high 18 points and Devin Telkamp contributed 12.
North Callaway (3-17) dropped the junior varsity game 36-34. Freshman forward Sam Althiser scored a team-high 10 points.
The Thunderbirds travel to Silex for an EMO contest at 5:30 p.m. Friday.