With just two minutes gone in the opening game of the Boom Classic in Winfield, the Warrenton boys basketball team turned three steals into points. 

That stellar defense early set the tone in a 65-42 win against the St. Louis Blue Knights on Tuesday. The win sets up a date with Ft. Zumwalt East Thursday. The Lions defeated Winfield to get to the next round against the Warriors.

Junior Brenden Smith had a pair of steals in the opening minutes against the Blue Knights, which he took the length of the court for easy lay-ins. The Warrior defense forced seven turnovers in the first quarter alone. That defense also held the Blue Knights scoreless through the first four minutes of the opening frame.  Sophomore Jake Tonioli had a steal at half-court and followed with a lay-in, as well.

Warrenton Head Coach Mike Uffmann said he really wanted his team to establish a tough defensive mindset early.

“We just turned our offense into defense,” he said. “In the first half we had a couple of runs and just played up by 10 most of the half. In the second quarter we started to gamble a little bit and that turned into them getting some uncontested shots. In the second half we were a bit more disciplined defensively.”

Junior Dylan Chandler drained a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter to help the Warriors jump out to a 19-10 lead. Warrenton hit seven of 10 shots from the floor in the first quarter to help secure the lead in a game where it never trailed.

The Blue Knights tried to make it interesting in the second quarter, at one point shrinking the Warrenton lead to seven, but the Warriors responded. 

A quick bucket underneath for Trevor Alberternst extended the lead back out to 28-15 with a couple of minutes left in the first half. The senior led Warrenton with 11 points in the game on 5-of-7 shooting, while pulling down five rebounds.  Warrenton shot 58-percent from the field in the first half.  

Warrenton’s defense held the Blue Knights to just under 40-percent shooting in the first half.

“Our best offense is going to be in transition,” Uffmann said. “We’ve got guys who like to get out and run and they do a pretty good job of that. Everything for us starts with defense. In our first two games, if we’re playing well defensively, we’re getting a lay-up on the other end.”

Unfortunately things wouldn’t improve in the second half for the Blue Knights. A 30-21 lead at halftime quickly grew for Warrenton. A 12-2 run to open the half sealed the deal for the Warriors. In the run, Tonioli hit 3-pointers in two consecutive trips down the floor for Warrenton as part of his ten points on the night. 

In the fourth quarter, Warrenton used another 10-0 run to extend its lead. In that run, senior Dru Forrest chipped in a pair of baskets.

Juniors Caleb Strauss and Randy McRoberts scored nine points apiece, while Chandler chipped in eight. 

For the Blue Knights, junior Jeremiah Reed scored 11 points. 

“We want to make sure we get the ball inside,” Uffmann said. “And even when we made a couple of threes, they came from our post players. They doubled them and so they kicked the ball out and we made some nice inside-out threes.”

The win gives Warrenton a 2-0 record on the year. In its first two contests, the Warriors have held their opponents to an average of just under 35 points a game.