The Bulldogs struggled in all phases in suffering their first loss of the season 50-47 to the Wildcats in Show-Me Conference play Thursday night.
South Callaway (14-1, 4-1 SMC) was down 11-6 after one quarter and 30-23 at halftime. The Bulldogs still trailed 39-35 entering the fourth quarter and couldn't pull off a comeback despite outscoring Linn 12-11 over the last 8 minutes.
South Callaway shot less than 40 percent as a team and made just 5-of-13 free throws. The Bulldogs also recorded 17 turnovers and were outrebounded 32-15.
"We played hard and were able to keep it close, but didn't do enough things right to beat a solid team," South Callaway head coach Tony Brandt said. "It stings a bit because it was our first loss of the season, but even more that it was a conference loss."
Senior guard Troy Hentges topped the Bulldogs with 19 points and senior guard Cory Hanger chipped in with 10. Hanger also passed out five assists and split the team lead in rebounds with senior forward Jacob Smith, both grabbing six.
"I trust that an experienced team like we have will take this loss as motivation for the remainder of the season," Brandt said. "It gives us definite areas to focus on for improvement heading into the last four weeks of the season."
Blake Snyder paced Linn with 19 points.
South Callaway is the second seed in this week's 31st-annual Sturgeon Tournament and will face No. 7 New Bloomfield in the first round at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The game will be played at the middle school. The Bulldogs have won both meetings with the Wildcats this season.
"We are looking forward to the Sturgeon Tournament; it will be very competitive," Brandt said. "We remember what it felt like to win it last year and hope to make another good showing this year. It won't be easy as the field of teams is pretty even.
"... We hope to bounce back from the disappointing Linn game and regain some confidence."