By Kory CarpenterRecord Sports EditorThe Warrenton girls basketball team turned up the pressure early in Monday night’s game at Orchard Farm.The Eagles never responded, and the Warriors headed home a 62-37 winner in the season opener.Everything seemed to work for Warrenton in the first half, while Orchard Farm scrambled to adjust to the onslaught.“It seems like we don’t even run plays out there,” junior forward Jenny Jansen said. “We just steal the ball, get rebounds and push the ball up the floor.”When the Warriors didn’t create turnovers that led to layups, they picked apart the Orchard Farm zone with precision.The ball was worked inside, then out, and five players connected on 3-pointers throughout the night.Kaylee Anderson led the team with three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.Jansen had a team-high 18 points.“We do a lot of shooting drills and guard and post work, and obviously that’s been paying off with a lot of layups,” Jansen said.Defensively, Rylie Cox met the Orchard Farm point guard near midcourt and never let up.Warrenton guards pressured the passing lanes on the wings, and Orchard Farm never got into a rhythm.“I’ve always liked defense,” Cox said. “I’m just really competitive, and it always feels good to get steals.”Cox finished with five points, but stood out on the defensive end of the floor.“We work on pressing a lot, and coach has said he wants me pressing up a lot this year,” she said. “So I’ve been working on it really hard.”The Warriors got their defensive identity from their coach, who said he was a defensive-minded player in high school.“These girls have really bought into it,” Greg Williams said. “You can see their effort and intensity. It’s just in their character.”After losing to St. Charles West in the first round of sectionals last season, Williams believes the combination of talent and hard work could set his team up for a deeper run this season.“If I tell them to do something, they’re going to do it,” he said. “They show up for the weight room. They do everything over the summer. They’re just a great group because they understand that their job is to not let their game suffer.”The Warriors head to Elsberry Wednesday night before hosting Holt Tuesday, and the intensity from the season opener doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.“We’ve been working really hard on defense, so it’s obviously an important key for us,” Jansen said. “It’s going to keep getting better.”

Warrenton's Rylie Cox looks for an open teammate in the corner during Monday's 63-37 win over Orchard Farm. Cox finished with five points.             Kory Carpenter photo