By Kory CarpenterRecord Sports EditorThe Warrenton boys basketball team knew what was coming.But knowing what to expect doesn’t always lead to execution, and the Warriors dug themselves a hole they couldn’t escape from in a 38-36 loss to Fort Zumwalt East Saturday in the Winfield Classic consolation championship.After battling back from an early 10-point deficit, junior guard Clayton Schowe scored off an offensive rebound midway through the third quarter to give Warrenton a 27-21 lead, its largest of the game.“Clayton came in off the bench and he did a great job of slowing us down and playing our pace,” Warrenton Head Coach Mike Uffmann said. “It may not show up in the stat book, but he makes a difference on this team because he puts us in a position to score.”Warrenton (1-2) led after three quarters, 29-28.With the game in the balance, both teams struggled during the final nine minutes.Passes flew out of players’ hands and out of bounds, free throws clanked off the rims and loose balls turned into pseudo-rugby matches as both teams jockeyed for possession.Warrenton guard Braydan Chmiel, the only senior on the team, tried to calm the storm with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter to give the Warriors a 32-28 lead.“We’re young,” Chmiel said. “I’m the oldest guy, and for the most part, we’re a team full of sophomores.”Zumwalt East went on a 7-1 run to take a 35-33 lead before a Strauss jump shot tied the game.The Lions regained the lead on a free throw and pestered the Warriors with an aggressive zone.Strauss missed a contested layup that left the Warrenton bench looking for a foul, but Warrenton was given one more chance after the Lions made one of two free throws on the opposite end.Schowe was fouled with five seconds left, missed a free throw and Strauss was called for a push, sealing the Warriors’ fate.“We’re still young and we need to execute better,” Uffmann said of the defensive pressure. “We’re simulating that in practice, but that is something they (the Lions) do every day.”Warrenton finished the tournament with a 1-2 record, and heads to Elsberry Wednesday night.“We showed plenty signs of growth and that we can be a pretty good team,” Uffmann said. “We had leads in the fourth quarter in both our losses. If you win this one, you walk away 2-1 and you’re thinking it’s a pretty good tournament. But when you lose by one possession, you’re thinking, ‘Well, we could have done some things differently.’ ”

Warrenton's Brenden Smith drives down the baseline to the hoop during Saturday's Winfield Classic consolation championship. Warrenton lost to Fort Zumwalt East, 38-36. Kory Carpenter photo.