The Hornets were sunk in the second quarter after being outscored by the Eagles 24-6 in Wednesday night's loss at Roger D. Davis Gymnasium.
Fulton (4-5) was only down 13-9 after one quarter, but trailed 37-15 at halftime after Southern Boone's second-quarter outburst. The Hornets were behind 48-28 to start the fourth quarter.
"I thought we played a lot better than the score reflected," Hornets head coach Justin Gilmore said. "We stayed right with them in the first, third and fourth quarters, but we just let them get away from us in the second (quarter).
"Turnovers and early foul trouble in the second also contributed to the big run by Southern Boone. If we take care of the ball and make some layups in the (quarter), I think it's a different kind of game."
Senior forward Tyler Sayler finished with a game-high 13 points as the only player to reach double figures for Fulton.
"Our guys never laid down in the second half and I'm very proud of them for not giving up," Gilmore said. "We came out of halftime and really competed, and were much better taking care of the ball."
Nik Post and Blake Dapkus topped the Eagles with 11 points apiece. Trenton Roney followed with 10.
The Hornets are the fifth seed in next week's 86th-annual California Tournament. Fulton squares off against No. 4 Warrensburg in a first-round matchup at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
"Our guys are right there, we're super-close," Gilmore said. "We just have to cut down on a few things and we'll be right where we want to be."