The Wentzville-Liberty girls basketball team found itself in an inopportune position on Monday, facing a Warrenton team still disgruntled over a lopsided defeat three days earlier.Furthermore, the Warriors had already beaten the Eagles handily a week prior and this time Liberty was without its starting point guard. It was a recipe for disaster.“Our girls were still bothered by what happened against St. Charles West (a season-worst 25-point loss) and came out with a lot of intensity,” said Williams following his team’s 66-21 win in the opening round of the Warriors’ host tournament.Warrenton set the tone immediately, smothering the Eagles in a 25-2 deficit on the heels of stellar man-to-man defensive play.“We were able to get steals and create points off layups from the turnovers,” said Williams, who had a better idea of what Liberty would bring to the court compared to the first time these two met.“The first time we played them we didn’t defend their inbounds play well,” said Williams. “Being more familiar this time, we were able to put ourselves in better position to stop them.”The Warriors led 40-12 by halftime, fueled by senior Hannah Sutton’s 18 points.But the outside shot wasn’t falling. In the midst of a funk, Warrenton made just one of 12 three-point attempts and have connected on only 3 of 34 outside shots  the past two games.“Our three-point percentage has got to get better,” said Williams. “It’s either we’ve got to start hitting them or quit shooting them altogether.”Fortunately for Williams, the shorter-range jumpers were indeed falling.“Our three-point percentage has got to get better,” said Williams. “It’s either we’ve got to start hitting them or quit shooting them altogether.”With the starters out and younger players filtering in, the Warriors were still able to hold Liberty scoreless in the final quarter, building on a 61-21 lead.One critical area of emphasis has been the contributions made by underclassmen, and the Warriors have been reaping the benefits of young depth. On Monday, three freshmen combined for 22 points, as Ashtyn Dixon and Rylie Cox each scored eight. Kayle Nelson added six.“It’s good to see those girls step up, because they are the future our team.”Sophomore Jenny Jansen has been a steady force, chipping in 10 points on Saturday.WARRIORS ADVANCEDerrick Forsythe photo.