ELSBERRY, Mo. - The North Callaway Thunderbirds struck down the Elsberry Indians with another deep, dramatic dagger.
Freshman forward Tully Thomsen buried a 3-pointer with 4 seconds to play Friday night, lifting North Callaway to a breathtaking 55-53 Eastern Missouri Conference victory over Elsberry.
The Thunderbirds had just jolted the Indians 59-57 in the fifth-place game of the Bowling Green Tournament on Jan. 28 when junior guard Coy Danison knocked down another stirring 3 as time expired.
North Callaway climbed to the break-even point at 10-10 on the season and improved to 2-4 in the EMO with their fourth consecutive victory Friday night. The Thunderbirds jumped out to a 16-9 advantage after one quarter and outscored the Indians 14-9 in the second quarter to forge a 30-18 advantage at halftime.
Elsberry closed within 44-38 by outscoring North Callaway 20-14 in the third quarter and then took a lead in the final 8 minutes, only to watch Thomsen deliver his devastating 3 for the game-winner.
Danison topped the Thunderbirds with 20 points and also had three assists and four rebounds. Thomsen tallied 15 points - including four treys - and came up with three steals, while junior forward Tanner Pezold logged 12 points, four rebounds and three steals.
"I was very happy with the team's effort," North Callaway head coach Matt Miller said. "It's very hard to beat a team two times in (less than) a week. For this young team to get to the .500 mark is a big stepping-stone and a real confidence-booster."
Garik Hill paced Elsberry (7-14, 2-4) with a game-high 21 points and Tyler Turnbull added 10.
The Thunderbirds triumphed in the junior varsity game 38-31. Sophomore guard Andrew Locastro connected for 21 points and sophomore forward Mark Hollenberg contributed 12.
North Callaway travels to Wright City for an EMO contest at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.