MOKANE, Mo. - The No. 6 seed North Callaway Thunderbirds outlasted the No. 5 New Haven Shamrocks to take fifth place at the South Callaway Tournament on Thursday night.
North Callaway (4-8) scored just two points over the final 3 minutes, 13 seconds, but shut out New Haven during that span to hold on for the victory.
The Thunderbirds trailed 7-5 after the first quarter, but outscored the Shamrocks 15-12 in the second quarter to take a 20-19 edge at halftime. North Callaway then outscored New Haven 19-16 in the third quarter to maintain a 39-35 advantage.
"I'm very proud of the team," Thunderbirds head coach Matt Miller said. "We proved we could play different types of basketball - we were great on defense against New Haven's slow, deliberate pace. Only one team goes away undefeated (from the tournament). This was a big week for this young team."
Junior forward Tanner Pezold finished 8-of-9 from the field and converted both of his free throws to direct North Callaway with 18 points and five rebounds. Junior guard Coy Danison chipped in with nine points and six assists.
Freshman guard Gabe Cash and freshman forward Tully Thomsen were both named to the all-tournament second team for the Thunderbirds.
Junior Justin Shockley made 8-of-10 free throws to pace the Shamrocks (5-7) with a game-high 20 points. Junior Brady Kruse scored 13 points.
North Callaway advanced to the fifth-place game after downing No. 7 seed Missouri Military Academy 63-52 in the consolation semifinals Wednesday night.
The Thunderbirds held a 20-12 advantage after the first quarter and led 41-26 at halftime. The Colonels edged North Callaway 9-8 in the third quarter, but the Thunderbirds still owned a 49-35 lead.
"It was a great team effort," Miller said. "We executed well on both ends of the court and did a good job of getting back on defense. MMA's coach has done a good job with his players - they're a good ball club."
Thomsen paced North Callaway with 17 points and seven rebounds. Pezold put up 13 points and Danison added 10.
Freshman guard Gabriel Penha guided the Colonels (5-4) with 17 points. Senior guard Rob Shields scored all 11 of his points in the first half.
The Thunderbirds host a makeup game against Fayette at 7:30 p.m. Monday.