Midway through the fourth quarter of A&M Consolidated's basketball game against Killeen Shoemaker, a group of students serenaded Tiger guard Quinton White with a rendition of Happy Birthday to You.

They could have crooned The Party's Over much earlier.

The 22nd-ranked Tigers pulled away from Shoemaker by scoring 21 consecutive points late in the second quarter and early in the third, rolling to a 62-32 victory at Tiger Gym on Friday night.

Consol' boys (24-4, 8-1) shook off a sluggish start to maintain a share of the District 12-5A lead. The game was tied after the opening quarter, bringing back memories of the Tigers' struggles in a 45-41 double-overtime victory at Shoemaker during the first round of league play.

"To give Shoemaker credit, those kids were playing very hard," Consol coach Rick German said. "They were out-jumping us. They were beating us to loose balls. They were not allowing us what we want to do. We just had to dig a little deeper and play the way we know how to play."

Consol limited the Grey Wolves (17-10, 5-4) to seven points in each of the last three quarters. Shoemaker shot 21 percent (10 of 46) for the game and committed 28 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Tigers.

"The boys were very passionate in that second half," German said. "I think our team is one of the better defensive teams in the state."

Although the Tigers at times have struggled to score, they clicked on offense against Shoemaker. Consol shot 56 percent (28 of 50), a statistic boosted by 10 fast-break baskets.

That included two of three dunks by 6-foot-6 senior guard Alex Caruso. The Texas A&M signee delivered a terrific all-around game that included 22 points, five assists, five rebounds and three blocked shots.

Caruso supplied the finishing touch when he soared to gather in a 21-foot alley-oop pass from birthday boy White for a fourth-quarter slam.

"It started with our defense," Caruso said. "We held them to 21 points in the last three quarters even putting in five new guys late in the game. Our defense is what we hang our hats on. That's what gets us going."

German was not pleased with the Tigers' intensity to begin the game. Shoemaker pounded the boards for 21 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end, during the first half. The Tigers managed just 11 rebounds, two on offense, by halftime.

Shoemaker trailed just 19-18 with 2 minutes, 55 seconds left in the second quarter, but the Tigers finished the half with a 9-0 run. Jimmie Gilbert (13 points, five rebounds) had a pair of inside baskets and Caruso drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Consol a 28-18 lead.

White (11 points) scored two fast-break baskets as the Tigers scored the first 12 points of the second half. During that span Shoemaker missed five consecutive shots and committed seven turnovers.

Consol 62, Shoemaker 32

(Numbers indicate field goals, free throws made-attempted, fouls and points)

CONSOL (24-4, 8-1 in District 12-5A) -- Josh Stewart 2 1-2 3 5; Josh Potter 0 0-0 0 0; Johnny McGruder 0 0-0 0 0; Quinton White 5 0-0 3 11; Kerry Thomas 1 0-0 1 3; Tyler Isenhart 1 0-0 1 2; Alex Caruso 10 1-4 3 22; Jeremy Capps 0 0-0 1 0; Jimmie Gilbert 6 1-1 0 13; Ryan Johnson 3 0-0 1 6; Josh Kipp 0 0-0 3 0. Totals: 28 3-7 16 62.

SHOEMAKER (17-10, 5-4) -- Patrick Mark 1 0-0 0 2; Paris Yerry 1 2-2 1 5; Renard Thomas 1 0-0 1 2; Chris Runnels 2 5-8 2 9; Shane Johnson 3 0-1 1 7; Andre Halliburton 0 1-2 2 1; Jeremy Mimes 1 1-2 0 4; Stafford Ingram 1 0-1 2 2; Dawson 0 0-0 1 0. Totals: 10 9-16 10 32.

Shoemaker 11 7 7 7 -- 32

Consol 11 17 20 14 -- 62

Field goal shooting: Consol 28-50, Shoemaker 10-46.

3-point shooting: Consol 3-12, Shoemaker 3-13.

Rebounds: Consol 25, Shoemaker 36.

Turnovers: Consol 17, Shoemaker 28.

JV: Consol 78, Shoemaker 72 (OT). Consol -- Nixon 21, Stavinoha 17, Jackson 13.

Next: Consol will play at Copperas Cove on Tuesday.