Not so long ago, the Warrenton girls basketball program was celebrating consistent success.

But for the three seniors on this year’s team, distant memories of watching titles being won from the bench as freshman had begun to fade.

They were eager for their turn.

And last week during a postseason tournament that went nothing like it was seeded, the Warriors finally got their chance to hoist a first-place trophy again.

Warrenton, who entered the Class 4 District 8 Tournament as a third seed, came away as champions after outlasting No. 5 Kirksville 33-30 last Thursday.

It concluded what the trio of seniors agree was the best week of basketball they’d played all year, despite the majority of the team battling a myriad of adversities.

“It feels good, because we’ve had a lot of trouble this season,” said senior Lexi Frederick. “We were close to winning our home tournament. We played well in the Washington Tournament, but couldn’t get past Holt. We’ve had a lot of sickness and injuries.”

Coah Greg Williams says he implored his team not to pay attention to the seedings but simply go out and play with the understanding that any team could claim the title.

“These kids have got faith, and we believed,” said Williams. “The good Lord blessed us with another district championship.”

He was determined not to let the program fall back into a complacent state of losing, recognizing the younger players were not around for the Warriors’ dominance in the 2015 through 2017 seasons.

“We won district titles three years in a row, and you get used to winning,” said Williams. “And then you lose a few, and you have to be careful, because you can also get used to losing.”

Despite the triumphant finish, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Warriors, who struggled mightily to come away with rebounds in the opening moments. Kirksville took advantage, pushing out to an 8-5 lead after one quarter in a defensive battle.

“We were a little tight, so we didn’t get the rebounds,” said Williams. “In that first timeout I told them to loosen up. It was kind of like a fighter in a boxing match. We got punched a few times, and then we got going.”

“I think it was nerves in the first half, but then we started to want it and knew we had to get those rebounds to win the game,” said senior post Miranda Nelson, who led the Warriors with six boards.

The teams went into halftime gridlocked at 16-16, before Warrenton unleashed an 8-0 run to begin the third period.

“Lexi came out in the third quarter and said, ‘we’re not going to lose,’” said Williams. “She drives to the middle and shoots that little spin-pivot and shoots that little running jump shot. She hits a three and was in the zone.”

Frederick finished with 13 points for Warrenton, also disrupting the Tigers defensively.

“I think we put a little more pressure on the beginning of the third quarter, and our defense was creating our offense,” said Frederick. “We were scoring mostly off steals and turnovers. It was a big part of the game.”

The Warriors pushed the margin to 10, gaining a boost of momentum.

“That run really got us going, and we started to feel like we could do this,” said senior Brooke Smith, who added seven points. “We just kept it up.”

But Kirksville was not finished, clawing to within a possession in the final minutes. Williams says he tried to pinpoint the appropriate time to pull the offense back and work the clock.

“When we got up by 10, we’re comfortable that we’ve got it, because they can’t just come out and get us,” said Williams. “You don’t want to go into that stall game too early.”

For the Warriors, it concluded a week in which they defeated No. 6 Fulton and No. 2 Hannibal.