Evan Brewster wasn’t big enough to hold a basketball the last time Terra Linda finished with a league record above .500. That was 15 years ago and Brewster — much taller now — wants the Trojans to restore some of that former glory.

“Terra Linda can play with anybody,” Brewster said. “We want to show that we can compete, that we shouldn’t be overlooked.”

Terra Linda is building a case for itself as a potential playoff team after clawing out a 49-44 home victory over Tam that stretched the Trojans’ win streak to five games.

“It was a dogfight” as both head coaches described Tuesday’s game, which featured 10 lead changes.

Brewster was at the center of the action for the Trojans (13-3, 2-0 MCAL) with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds.

“We rely a lot on Brewster, but the team played well as a whole and a lot of guys stepped up,” Terra Linda head coach James Baker said. “Calvin Albrecht and Chase Addleman. Kaden Martin stepped up, so those guys who surround Brewster and help him do his job really made the difference.”

Bennett Kayser, who was 7 for 10 from the charity stripe, finished with 12 points for the Trojans and Pele Love added nine points and six rebounds.

The 6-foot-5 Brewster went head to head with Tam’s Price Jeffris, who did a lot of the dirty work for the Red-tailed Hawks to grab 15 rebounds.

“I always enjoy playing against someone my size,” Brewster said. “I can defend against someone my size. It’s a good matchup and it’s a fun challenge.”

Porthos Oliveira carried the scoring load for the Hawks (3-12, 0-2) with 20 points, half of which came in the first quarter.

“The guys fought hard,” said Tim Morgan, who was asked to return to the Red-tailed Hawks’ bench in December, four years after his last coaching stint at Tam. Morgan stepped down to take time and focus on his family, but has continued his teaching duties at Tam.

“Some of these guys went through my clinics when they were younger, and some of them are my students, but none of them knew me as a coach really,” Morgan said. “We’re trying to pull the pieces together, and we have complete buy-in from the players, who understand what I’m trying to do here.”

The Hawks put together a series of small rallies, but could not sustain any momentum. A buzzer-beater by frenetic Hawks guard Taeden Wong at the end of the first quarter made it a one-point game. Oliveira scored the final four points of the first half, but the Hawks still trailed by two at the break.

Ashton Sadow energized the Hawks with a basket to cut the Trojans’ lead to 31-29 in the middle of the third period, then Oliveira tied the game at the free throw line. But Terra Linda came right back to build a three-point edge by the end of the quarter, and Tam’s stamina was starting to waver.

Meanwhile, the Trojans took care of business at the free-throw line, where they were 23 of 28 in the game and 10 of 14 in the fourth quarter. The Hawks, in contrast, were just 8 of 13 at the line in the entire game.

Just as the Hawks started to make another run in the fourth quarter, the Trojans went on a run of their own for a seven-point edge, their biggest lead of the game, with 3 minutes left to play.

“In the end, it was about discipline,” Baker said. “When we were leading, I made sure they understood they had to control the tempo of the game. Once we slowed the game down, Tam couldn’t get back in.”

Terra Linda will put its streak on the line Friday against Redwood, while Tam hopes to see its labors bear fruit with a win over Novato this week.