WARDSVILLE, Mo. - Blair Oaks Falcons coach Ryan Fick knew it wouldn't be easy finishing a perfect Tri-County Conference season having to play School of the Osage a third time.
It was the Indians' game to start Friday, but it was the Falcons who made the adjustments in the end to win 72-56 on Senior Night.
"To play a team three times is never any fun," Fick said. "They are well coached and they play well. I didn't expect anything different. They came out with a lot of energy."
Ethan Luebbering, Tim Fick, Jacob Fitzpatrick and Justin Cobb were honored prior to the game for Senior Night. All four got the start along with junior Trent Martin.
"I've been up close and personal with them a little bit more just because Tim is in this class," Fick said. "And watching them since they were little guys. They've been a big part of what we've done. It was nice to get the win for them tonight to seal the conference championship and springboard us into districts next week."
Keyton Knamiller set the tone early for the Indians, scoring four of the game's first six points. He added another inside basket at the 2:47 mark of the first quarter for a 16-6 lead.
"He had a great game," Fick said of Knamiller, who had 14 points and 13 rebounds. "We knew he was obviously capable of that. I don't think we did a very good job staying in front of him. He got to the paint way too much and he finished. Braydan (Pritchett) did a really good job on him in the second half at contesting shots."
Eric Northweather, who tied for a team-high 18 points and led the Falcons with 11 rebounds, leaped up for an offensive rebound and came down for a two-handed slam following Knamiller's bucket.
That started a 9-0 run that finished with a pair of Pritchett free throws to start the second quarter.
Prior to that, Nolan Hair beat the first-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer. Hair added a second long-range shot about 1:30 into the second half for a 37-29 lead.
"He's actually been shooting the ball really well in practice," Fick said. "When he catches the ball and shoots and doesn't sit and look around and think about it, he's pretty good."
Pritchett added a 3-pointer about 1:30 later for a 42-33 advantage. But Pritchett made the most impact by attacking the rim, making 3-of-4 inside the paint and 6-of-8 at the free-throw line to score 15 points.
"That's his game," Fick said. "He's going to guard. He's going to guard the other team's best player and he attacks on offense. He's finishing more this year. His body control is so much better."
Trent Martin was dangerous from deep, making four 3s on his way to 18 points. Fick made all seven of his free throws on his way to 12 points.
Blair Oaks (19-5, 7-0 Tri-County) will begin play in the Class 3 District 9 Tournament on Tuesday in Westphalia. The top-seeded Falcons will face eighth-seeded South Callaway at 4 p.m.
The Blair Oaks Falcons JV and freshman teams each closed out the season with a win against Osage.
In the JV game, Blair Oaks won 51-39.
Corban Bonnett and Cameron Hardwick each scored 13 points for the Falcons, who finished with a record of 19-2.
Blair Oaks won the freshman game 48-26 to end the season with a record of 14-6.
Trisan Heislen led Blair Oaks with 18 points.