Prior to the season, T.J. Lafaver wasn't even sure he would be putting on a varsity uniform. Never in his wildest dreams did the Warrenton freshman imagine he would play the role of hero during the school's biggest rivalry. Lafaver drained a three-pointer at the buzzer and pandemonium ensued as the Warriors downed Wright City 50-48 in overtime on Tuesday. "I didn't think it was going in, because it fell off my hand wrong," said Lafaver. "When it hit bottom, I went crazy. Everybody hit the floor. Me and Scotty got to each other and got tackled." Wright City coach Mark Scacewater says the plan was to foul the Warriors before they crossed halfcourt on what would be the final possession of the game. Once the ball got swung to Lafaver, who stood wide open on the right wing, he knew it meant trouble. "I knew it was good the second it left his hands," said Scacewater. Early in the season, Lafaver may have been the unlikeliest of guys to take the final shot in a game with so many bragging rights on the line. On a night where the Warriors were forced to settle for outside shots, he had proven his accuracy. All 15 of Lafaver's point came on three-pointers. "I never thought that I would ever have a chance to hit that three-pointer," said Lafaver. "I thought it was going into David (Dent) or Scotty (Lathrop's) hands at that point." Tuesday's game showed little resemblance to last season's 20-point rout by the Warriors. The 2009 meeting was constantly uptempo, overtly physical and never in question during the final moments. Wright City made sure its opponent never sped the game up this time. "We had a very specific game plan that we put into motion a week ago and it included two and three minute possessions," said Scacewater. "I'd say we did an okay job of that, but every time we deviated from the game plan, it cost us a possession; either a turnover or someone taking an ill-advised shot." The Wildcats controlled the pace through four quarters and even into overtime. They maintained possession for nearly three out of the four minutes during overtime. "That fell right into their hands, because they wanted to take the air out of the ball a little bit," said Burle. "We're a team that wants to get up and down the floor and score some points. That was great coaching on their part. They successfully slowed the game down and took us away from what we wanted to do." Warrenton got the final possession and the last laugh. The Warriors took the ball with 11.9 seconds, trailing 48-47. Wright City fouled Lathrop, and Warrenton used its last timeout. Following the timeout, the Warriors were able to avoid getting fouled. Lathrop swung the ball to Dent, who had just hit a three-pointer with 19 seconds left to make it a one possession game. Dent recognized that Lafaver had a more clean look and dished it off to the Warrenton's version of the diaper dandy. "It was going either to David or T.J.," explained Burle. "We were going to try to get dribble penetration from Scott and if he didn't have a look, have him kick it out to one of our shooters." Lathrop says he sprinted into position for the rebound when he realized Lafaver was about the release. "When the ball left his hands I went to the weak side for a chance at a put back," said Lathrop. "When I got under the rim I got a perfect view of it and knew it was money. It was one of the best sights I've ever seen." Against an inexperienced and smaller Warrenton lineup, Wright City was able to flex its muscle between the blocks. Junior Deon Bradshaw had a substantial height advantage at 6-foot-5 against Warrenton's Joey Curtis. Bradshaw scored 19 points and was a force defensively, blocking shots. The Warriors knew Bradshaw and senior Shakar Butler would provide the bulk of Wright City's scoring and strategized to take them out of the game. In the case of Bradshaw, they looked to physical eliminate his presence by forcing him into foul trouble. "We knew that Butler and Bradshaw were the highest scorers and without them they might struggle a little bit offensively," said Burle. "It was a point of emphasis to attack the basket and possibly get the bigs into foul trouble." He kept his hands clean until the final three minutes of the second quarter, drawing his second and third fouls. Bradshaw says that prevented him from playing as physical in the second half. Still, his presence limited Warrenton's looks inside the paint. The Warriors immediately tested their luck from beyond the arc, as Dent opened the game with a three-pointer. Warrenton maintained a slight edge until a conventional three-point play by Bradshaw pushed the Wildcats ahead 11-10 after one quarter. The Warriors took a five-point lead, the largest by either team, on a trey by Lafaver with 5:10 remaining in the second period. Wright City countered with its own 5-0 run and managed to take a 24-23 lead by halftime. Neither team could take control during the second half, as the game underwent nine lead changes before reaching overtime. Warrenton clung to a 34-33 advantage heading into the final period. "They really took it to us," acknowledged Lathrop. "They doubled down on me and were able to take me out of my scoring game. I started trying to drive and dish off." Lafaver drove him his fourth trey to put the Warriors ahead 42-39 with 3:16 left in regulation. They held on to a three-point lead until Bradshaw hit the back end of a pair of free throws with 1:37 remaining. On Wright City's next possession, Butler elevated over traffic and floated in the tying bucket. Senior Zac Kaibel stole the ball moments later, and the Wildcats hung on to it for the final minute, looking for a potential game-winner. All they got was contested look from deep in the corner by Kaibel, who is recognized more as a defensive specialist. Scacewater acknowledged that the Warriors probably expected Butler or Bradshaw to get the final touch, forcing them to key on the duo. Ultimately, they scored all but one of the Wildcats field goals. Kaibel's three-pointer fell short and Warrenton breathed a sigh of relief heading into overtime. "Zac got a shot off," said Scacewater. "It wasn't the best shot available but we still had a chance to win it. I was still happier with going into overtime or winning it rather than hurrying a play and potentially losing a possession." Wright City won the tip, got an immediate bucket to regain the lead and controlled possession for the majority of the overtime. Three-pointers had kept the Warriors within reach for four quarters. Lafaver figured it couldn't hurt to keep firing away. "I was feeling pretty good," said Lafaver. "The first couple didn't fall, but coach always tells us took keep shooting." Denton added 13 points for the Warriors, who scored eight of their 17 field goals from beyond the arc. Butler led all scorers with 24 points, and Wright City went 14 of 22 from the charity stripe. The Wildcats dropped to 3-8, while Warrenton improved to 4-9.