With his team out of sync and finding itself behind early, Mike Uffmann wanted nothing more than a few minutes to address his Warrenton boys basketball team.“Halftime could not have come at a better time,” quipped the Warrenton boys basketball coach, who made the necessary adjustments and saw his team respond in a 47-29 victory over No. 6 Liberty in the first round of the Warriors’ host tournament.Warrenton improved to 7-3, a mark matching the win total from all of last season.“We’re playing with confidence, and it’s fun to be a part of,” said Uffmann.But it wasn’t an easy runaway for the Warriors, who trailed early and led by only a few buckets through most of the first half.“We came out flat and stood offensively,” said Uffmann. “We’d made a couple passes and we’d shoot.”Warrenton led 12-9 after one quarter and just 20-19 at halftime. “It seemed like we were falling back on bad habits that we had done in the past, but sometimes we just need to regroup a little bit,” said Uffmann.He saw several possible reasons for his team’s slow start.“They played a 3-2 zone, which is something we hadn’t seen much this year,” said Uffmann. A halftime assessment would get his team back on track, as the Warriors distanced themselves in the third quarter.“At halftime we calmed down a little and talked about the spots we needed to get to,” said Uffmann. “We got into a rhythm. The main thing was we knew we needed to play a little better defense.”He says the Warriors wanted to start the third quarter off with a “kill,” which is three consecutive defensive stops. Warrenton was able to achieve that on two straight occasions.Uffmann says he has assigned Braydan Chmiel to the opposing team’s top scorer and again on Tuesday he held that individual well under his season average.“Braydan doesn’t show up in the box score, but he’s the best defender on the floor every night. His ability to lock the other team’s best player up is a big reason we’re having success,” said Uffmann.Still, the Warriors got the offensive balance they desired, especially down low.Senior Craig Vardiman scored 16 points to go along with underclassmen Trevor Alberternst and Caleb Strauss’ 6 points a piece.Vardiman also grabbed 20 rebounds, while Alberternst hauled down nine boards.“We had great contribution from our three post players tonight,” said Uffmann.After a frustrating first half which saw his shots clank off the rim, senior Alec Tonioli improvised during the final quarters.“Tonioli made a good adjustment in the first half,” said Uffmann. “He was trying to score from the outside, but then he was able to score by getting to the lane in the second half.”With the win the Warriors advance to play second-seeded Fort Zumwalt West on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.“We’re not going to stop doing what we’re doing,” said Uffmann. “This group has really come to practice and worked hard every day.”WARRIORS ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALDerrick Forsythe photo.