The Kirksville Tigers came out strong after halftime and had to hold on against Hannibal 49-46 Friday at Tiger Gym. KHS led at the break 24-23, then outscored Hannibal 14-5 in the third to take a 38-28 lead at the end of the period. KHS caught the turnover bug in the fourth and let Hannibal hang around before Cole Kelly scored 8 of his 19 points in the fourth, including 3 out of 4 at the free throw line to help finally lock it down. KHS committed 17 turnovers on the night. Justin McKim scored 14 before fouling out in the fourth, Gavin Pike with 8. KHS finished 13 out of 16 at the stripe. Kirksville climbs to 10-5 on the year, 4-2 in the NCMC. Next, the Tigers open play Monday at the Southern Boone Classic taking on Ft. Zumwalt South. Pregame at 5:45, tip at 6:00.