Fulton Hornets head coach Ryan Shaw believed the Hannibal Pirates featured the best post player in the North Central Missouri Conference in junior forward Dylan Powell.
However, with the Pirates visiting the Hornets on Thursday night, Powell wasn't even the best big man on the floor.
That distinction went to Hornets senior forward Sam Christensen.
Christensen dominated the paint, finishing with 24 points and 17 rebounds in launching Fulton to a 74-64 NCMC triumph over Hannibal in the Hornets' home finale at Roger D. Davis Gymnasium.
Christensen converted 10-of-15 shots, while 10 of his rebounds came on the offensive end.
"Powell played well, but Sam dominated him," Shaw said. "Sam was the dominant post player on the floor tonight."
With the win, Fulton (16-8, 6-5 NCMC) avenged its first loss of the season, a 64-63 setback to the Pirates on Dec. 30 in Hannibal.
Thursday night's game was deadlocked at 35-all at halftime, but the Pirates used a 10-3 run over 2 minutes, 49 seconds of the third quarter to jump out to a 52-47 lead with 2:22 left in the period.
The Hornets - winners of four of their last five - erased double-digit deficits in the second half in three of those victories. So while Shaw was irked by some of Fulton's defensive lapses Thursday night, he was never uncomfortable.
The Hornets went to the paint for their final two baskets of the third quarter, with Christensen's layup with :47 remaining bringing Fulton within 52-51 to start the final 8 minutes.
The Hornets jumped back in front when junior guard Radarion Glover hit the first of two free throws to give Fulton a 53-52 edge with 7:24 remaining.
Christensen got to the high post on three straight possessions, capping off his own 7-2 run with a layup to give the Hornets a 60-54 lead with 5:37 left.
"Powell does everything he can to stay out of foul trouble because they need him to score, so we'd identified some gaps in the zone and we knew if we got the ball to the high post, he'd step out and we'd fill the gap," Shaw said.
Glover knocked down a 3-pointer off a Christensen steal at halfcourt to push Fulton out to a game-high nine-point advantage at 63-54 with 5:19 to go.
Shaw wasn't too impressed with his team's defensive effort in the first three quarters, but praised its performance on that end as a key in withstanding the Pirates in the fourth.
Sophomore guard Shemar Griffith and Powell logged quick baskets to bring Hannibal within five points, but a layup by senior guard Ricky Dawson stretched the Hornets' advantage to 65-58 with 4:09 to go.
Dawson - who injured his shooting hand in the loss at Hannibal - finished with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting Thursday night. Dawson also added five rebounds and three steals.
The Pirates wouldn't be easily put away, though. Griffith and senior guard Mario Jones both hit a pair of free throws to bring Hannibal within 65-62 with 2:29 left.
Fulton iced the game from the free-throw line, making 7-of-9 attempts to close out the victory. The Hornets were 10-of-14 from the line in the final quarter and 14-of-21 for the game.
Glover added 12 points off the bench, while senior forward Devin Gibson contributed nine. Fulton shot 46 percent (28-of-61) as a team and finished with a commanding 43-28 rebounding edge.
Powell paced the Pirates with his own double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Griffith added 16 points, while junior guard Kasen Rademan and sophomore guard Eric Jones scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. Hannibal shot 43 percent (21-of-49) from the field.
The Hornets conclude their regular season with junior varsity girls-boys and varsity girls-boys' doubleheaders at NCMC rival Mexico at 6 tonight.
Fulton has dropped both meetings to the Bulldogs this season, most recently a 70-66 loss in the semifinals of the California Tournament on Jan. 15.