It was a scene that has unfolded throughout the Wright City boys basketball season.

The Wildcats started sluggish and found themselves in a hole they couldn’t dig out of in the second half.

Tuesday, it was a home game against Van-Far.

Next week, Wright City Head Coach Ken Brown hopes it isn’t repeated in a win-or-go-home district game.

“I credit our kids’ effort to come back,” Brown said after his team’s 54-42 loss. “But it’s on me to be ready to go in the first half.”

Sophomore guard Devon Holmes hit a 3-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer to cut the deficit to 42-30 at halftime, and the Wildcats cut the deficit to 42-39 midway through the fourth.

Empty offensive possessions and converted Van-Far free throws kept Wright City at a comfortable distance in the final minutes.

“We have the ability to beat this team, but we didn’t show it in the first half,” senior guard Trey Saddler said after the game. “We knew we could have won, and that was the hard part.”

Saddler finished with seven points and Holmes added nine.

Senior forward Kyle Christopher led the team with 14 points, but the bulk of the Wildcat scoring was done in the second half.

“It was not one of our best performances in the first half,” Brown said. “Van-Far was ready to go tonight.”

Saddler said he didn’t know why his team wasn’t ready to go in the first half.

Brown said he can’t tell if his team is mentally prepared until the game starts.

Whatever the reason, the Wildcats were left shaking their heads — and pounding locker room doors — as they prepare for the Class 3, District 6 tournament next week.

Wright City (7-17) earned the No. 7 seed in the tournament and faces No. 2 Duchesne (12-10) Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at O’Fallon Christian.

“They’re 12-10 but they’ve played a lot of good competition,” Brown said. “I think if we prepare the right way, we can beat anybody.”

Saddler agreed,

“They’re a pretty decent team, but any team is beatable,” he said. “We can beat any team on any given day.”

On paper, the bracket appears to be wide open.

Six of the eight teams have double-digit losses, and no team has more than 15 wins.

“Once you get into districts, any team can win it,” Brown said. “You just have to be ready to go. There’s not a team in our bracket that’s overwhelmingly better than anyone else, it just depends on who will play better that day.”