T-Birds roll past MMA for 50-29 win

The North Callaway Thunderbirds used a frantic final three quarters to snap their losing skid.

The T-Birds outscored the Missouri Military Academy Colonels 36-16 after the first quarter, rolling to a 50-29 non-conference triumph on Tuesday night.

North Callaway (4-10) carried a slight 14-12 advantage through one quarter, but broke out for a 15-5 second quarter to lead 29-17 at halftime.

The T-Birds clipped the Colonels 21-12 in the second half to snap their two-game losing streak.

North Callaway senior center Steven Coleman led all players with 15 points. Senior forward Michael Pezold tallied 10 points, while tying Coleman for the team lead with four rebounds.

Senior guard Brandon Hagedorn logged eight points and handed out three assists, while junior guard Manzell Payne totaled eight points off the bench.

"I'm very pleased with the team's performance; we did all the things we wanted to both on defense and the offensive end," T-Birds head coach Matt Thomas said. "On defense, we did an excellent job getting into the gaps for steals.

"Offensively, we were patient and got the shots we wanted."

Jose Estrada paced MMA (0-6) with nine points on three 3-pointers.

Alex Walker's 12 points guided North Callaway (2-12) to a 36-30 triumph in the junior varsity game.

The T-Birds travel to Clopton for an Eastern Missouri Conference tilt at 6 p.m. Friday.