Coaches are afraid of games like this.

The Warrenton girls basketball team was fresh off a Warrenton Winter Classic title and planned on carrying any momentum it had into a battle with St. Charles Jan. 19, a game with Gateway Athletic Conference title implications.

Then the snow fell, the game was rescheduled and the team had hardly any time to prepare for an average Winfield squad two days later.

“It’s kind of a trap game,” Warrenton Head Coach Greg Williams said after his team’s 44-27 win Thursday night.

The Warrenton offense was lethargic for most of the game as Winfield sat back in a zone defense.

The Warriors countered with a zone defense of their own, and created enough turnovers to take a 21-8 halftime lead.

The second half was much of the same, and Warrenton improved to 4-0 in the GAC North.

St. Charles, which is 5-0 in the conference and beat Winfield 61-13 Dec. 8, travels to Warrenton Feb. 5 for the first of two meetings that could decide the GAC North race.

The second contest was rescheduled for Feb. 22, the regular-season finale.

“We were really keying up for that game Tuesday night at St. Charles,” Williams said. “We weren’t able to practice much either, so as a coach, these kinds of games bother you a little bit.”

Kayla Nelson led the team with 13 points against Winfield, and was glad to get out of town with a perfect conference record still intact.

“We’re really looking at first place,” she said. “We really want to finish first in conference, so we try our best with these conference games because they mean a lot.”

Winfield dropped to 2-2 with Thursday’s loss, further cementing the GAC North as a two-team race.

“It’s a tough conference,” Williams said. “St. Charles is one of the better teams in the area and we have to beat them if we want to win this. But you can’t let these other games slip. On any given night, some of these other teams can step up and get you. And if you do have that slip-up, it could cost you.”

Warrenton faces St. Charles West and Liberty Monday and Tuesday — two teams it beat by a combined 25 points earlier this season — before hosting St. Charles Friday night.

“We can’t wait to get at St. Charles, I know I can’t,” Nelson said. “It’s killing me that we had to cancel that game. We play better at home though, so to get that first game at home is nice.”

The Pirates host non-conference foe Duchesne Wednesday night and will bring an undefeated conference record to Warrenton Friday.

And while the Warriors have their eyes set on bigger prizes in February, a potential GAC North title isn’t being overlooked.

“We have girls that are champions, and they know what’s really at stake,” Williams said. “The higher priority is winning the district and making a move in the playoffs, but winning the conference is always icing on the cake.”

IN TRAFFIC — Ashtyn Dixon finishes a tough shot in the lane Thursday night against Winfield. The Warriors improved to 4-0 in the GAC North.