CENTRALIA, Mo. - The eighth-seeded North Callaway Thunderbirds nearly stunned the No. 1 Boonville Pirates in first-round play at the 61st-annual Centralia Tournament on Tuesday night.
Junior guard Coy Danison's 3-point attempt from the top of the key fell just short of its mark as time ran out on North Callaway's upset bid.
The Thunderbirds (0-3) were down 20-17 after one quarter, but outscored Boonville 16-8 in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 33-28 edge. The Pirates proceeded to outscore North Callaway 20-15 in the third quarter, pulling even at 48-all heading to the final 8 minutes.
Danison was 7-of-9 from the field - including 3-of-4 from 3-point range - to guide the Thunderbirds with 19 points. Freshman guard Tulley Thomsen made 3-of-6 shots from behind the arc in following with 15 points, while junior forward Tanner Pezold had 10 points - including a pair of 3s - and a team-high six rebounds.
North Callaway shot 53 percent (24-of-45) as a team, including 64 percent (9-of-14) from behind the arc.
"I was so proud of the way we played - this showed them how they can play up to their ability," Thunderbirds head coach Matt Miller said. "It was a great team effort and we shot the ball really well."
Riley Lang countered with a game-high 26 points to spur three players in double figures for Boonville (3-0). Ryan Beaver added 17 points and Nick Zeitlow contributed 10.
North Callaway will get a rematch against No. 5 seed Centralia in the consolation semifinals at 4:30 p.m. today. The Thunderbirds lost to the Panthers 53-39 in their Nov. 29 season opener at Centralia.