Trico withheld a late Carterville rally to escape with a 70-68 win Friday night in a key Black Diamond West battle.

The Pioneers trailed 13-8 at the end of the first quarter, but battled back to trail just 24-21 at halftime.

Trico went on a 21-11 scoring run in the third period to capture a 42-35 advantage. 

Carterville outscored the Pioneers 33-28 in the fourth, but Jesse Smith sank four clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the win in the conference opener for Trico.

Logan Thies scored 18 points to pace the Pioneers, while Tyler Coleman added 16 and Smith finished with 14.

Trico drained eight three-pointers in the win as the team improved to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference.