Watching from the bench is not where Coach Mike Uffmann wanted his three seniors during the first half of the Class 4 District 8 Tournament opener on Monday.The Warrenton boys basketball team was confident it had a legitimate shot of snapping the school’s eight-year postseason losing streak but hopes faded just minutes into an eventual 65-53 loss to the host team at Kirksville High School.The No. 5 Warriors saw their leading rebounder Craig Vardiman sidelined early in the first quarter after taking a finger to the eye, resulting in a scratched cornea.“When you see your horse go out, mentally you’ve got to be prepared to have other people step up,” said Uffmann.However, in the moments that followed, senior guards Alec Tonioli and Ryan Bradshaw picked up two fouls a piece, also retreating to the bench.Suddenly, Uffmann found himself calling on a cast of underclassmen to keep the Warriors in control of a game locked at 12-12 after one quarter.“The young guys played well, but it was a different environment for them,” said Uffmann. “It took a little bit for them to get going.”Sophomore Trevor Alberternst filled in for Vardiman, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.“Trevor played great, really helping us out inside,” said Uffmann.Vardiman sat out the remainder of the half, with the Warriors trailing 29-25 at the break.Uffmann says Kirksville’s pressure and talent at the guard position presented a wealth of problems.“We knew the game was going to come down to their guards versus our bigs,” said Uffmann. “Their guards are tough and set the tone right away.”He says the Tigers were successful in forcing Warrenton out of its comfort zone on offense, flustering the Warriors into 27 turnovers.“They pressured in halfcourt sets with lots of ball pressure,” said Uffmann. “We ran our offense farther from the basket than we’re used to.”Kirksville, which ran a four-guard offense, pushed its lead out to 10 in the third quarter.“Every time we cut into the lead, they always had a big answer,” said Uffmann.The Warriors trailed by seven with 2:00 left, but Vardiman playing sparsely in the second half with limited vision, he wasn’t as imposing as usual. He finished with just six points and nine rebounds — less than half of his season average.“Not having Craig at full capacity had a big impact,” said Uffmann. “He had become especially important the past three weeks, with us having played well while relying on him.”Tonioli overcame foul trouble to finish his career with a solid individual performance, netting 18 points while grabbing nine rebounds.“I don’t think had any doubts in their minds we were going to win,” said Uffmann, of his team’s mentality leading up to the contest. “We just didn’t play up to our ability.”WARRIORS EXIT DISTRICTS EARLYDerrick Forsythe photo.