Top-seeded Elsberry beat No. 5 seed North Callaway girls basketball 48-39 in the championship bracket of the Bowling Green Tournament Wednesday evening at Bowling Green High School.
Except for the fourth quarter, the Indians outscored the Ladybirds in each quarter -- 15-13, 11-8, 15-7 and 7-11.
Candice Dowell led Elsberry with 13 points, while Kathryn Talbot had 10.
North Callaway's Natalie Shryock scored a game-high 19 points, including five 3s; she was also second on the team with two assists. The Ladybirds' Riley Blevins notched eight points and a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.
Neither team shot the ball well from the free throw line; Elsberry went 4-of-10, while North Callaway made 2-of-8. If the Ladybirds had shot better from the charity stripe -- like they usually have this season -- then North Callaway could've had a better chance of winning.
With the result, the Ladybirds fall to 12-9 on the season, while the Indians improve to 15-4.
"We cut it to single digits; then they would pull it out to a double-digit lead," North Callaway coach Tim Turlington said. "We just couldn't get it done tonight. Hopefully, we do better when we play for third place Friday."
No. 5 seed North Callaway will face No. 2 seed Winfield (12-4) in the third-place game at 5:50 p.m. Friday at Bowling Green High School. If the Ladybirds beat the Warriors, it would be their first time finishing third in the Bowling Green Tournament since 2016 -- North Callaway beat Winfield 39-30 in that game.