Justin Bailey led Southwestern scorers with 18 points on Friday night against North Mac. (Photo by Dan Brannan)

Six-foot-six Collin Baumgartner has been an imposing force this season for Southwestern. He demonstrates this again with a block under the basket against North Mac. (Photo by Dan Brannan)PIASA - Ninety-eight years after the first Macoupin County Tournament game, the boys matchups continue to be hard fought.

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Southwestern hosted North Mac on Friday night and fell behind 13-5 at the end of the first quarter, then came roaring back in the second and third quarters. By the half the score was 25-13 North Mac and in the third period, the Piasa Birds outscored their opponents 15-6 to make it a game at 31-28. North Mac posted 18 points to Southwestern’s 17 in the fourth quarter to make the final score 49-45.

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The Piasa Birds drop to 8-10 with the defeat.

Zayne Langlier led North Mac with 10 points, followed by Cooper Etter with nine points and Logan York and Grant Graham each contributed eight points.

Justin Bailey had a game-high 18 points to lead Southwestern, connecting on four three-pointers. Collin Baumgartner followed with 15 points. Zack Seymour had six points. Caden Heyen and Ben Lowis each tallied three points for Southwestern.

Southwestern and North Mac battle under the boards. (Photo by Dan Brannan)

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