The North Callaway Thunderbirds connected on 12-of-17 free throws in the fourth quarter to seal a 64-52 Eastern Missouri Conference win over the Mark Twain Tigers on Tuesday night.
The victory was the third straight for North Callaway (9-14, 5-4 EMO), which led 24-22 at halftime and outscored Mark Twain 40-30 in the second half.
Senior forward Michael Pezold sparked the Thunderbirds with 17 points, followed by senior guard Brandon Hagedorn with 16 points and a team-high six rebounds. Freshman guard Coy Danison added 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
"It was an ugly game because we had three days off because of the weather, and it showed in the first half," North Callaway head coach Matt Thomas said. "We were able to make enough shots and free throws at the end."
Brett Peters topped Mark Twain (5-18, 2-7) with 17 points and Ethan Mack tallied 10.
The Thunderbirds remain at home for an EMO contest against Bowling Green at 6 p.m. Friday.