All Hannah Sutton could do was watch.The Warrenton senior was either about to celebrate the biggest victory of her career or put away her uniform one final time.An eternity seemed to pass from the moment Kirksville’s Lauren Houston released a desperation three-pointer until it bounced off the rim, allowing the Warriors to escape with a 50-48 victory in the Class 4 District 8 Championship on Friday.“As soon as I saw the pass get there, and she shot, my heart stopped and I thought, ‘Oh no. We just lost the district championship,’ ” recalled Sutton.It was exactly the shot the Tigers had desired — wide open and in the hands of the right player.“We had a chance to win it there, but it just didn’t fall for us,” said Kirksville Coach Sara Williams. “It was a great look.”Like his counterpart, Warrenton Coach Greg Williams was certain the shot was going to fall.“We were thanking the good Lord that one didn’t go in, because it looked good,” quipped Williams. “Credit to our girls for hanging in there when things got tough down the stretch.At the sound of the buzzer, the Warriors erupted in celebration — some screaming and hugging, others overwhelmed and crying.There was no acting like they’d been there before, because they hadn’t.The win marked the program’s first-ever district championship and playoff berth since it became a member of MSHSAA in 1972-73.“It’s definitely nice to finally see our hard work paying off,” said Kylie Toebben, one of two seniors on the team. “All those stressful losses can feel like they were worth it now.”But the stress didn’t disappear on Friday.The Warriors watched Kirksville attack a nine-point deficit with three consecutive treys over a three-minute span, notching the game at 48-48.Sutton found herself shooting the most important free throws of her life with 10 seconds remaining.“I had knocked down my last two, so I was feeling pretty confident,” said Sutton.She hit her first and missed her second.Noone was more relieved to see Houston miss the last three-pointer than Sutton.“We were just waiting for the buzzer to go off,” said Sutton. “We made it a team goal to win districts this year, and I’m so glad we accomplished it.”A few signature plays saved the day for the Warriors, including a pair of timely steals by freshman Rylie Cox, who finished with 10 points.“Most of my games this season I was nervous, but this game I wasn’t,” said Cox. “I laid it all out there and played as hard as I could.”The comeback was impressive for the Tigers, whose shots were off the mark early, as Warrenton built a 12-7 after one quarter.Kirksville went scoreless for a five-minute stretch extending into the second quarter, allowing the Warriors to charge ahead by 10.“I think the big thing is we haven’t seen a team that can match our speed and size, so a lot of teams haven’t played us man-to-man,” said Sarah Williams. “Dealing with their pressure for four quarters was rough to adjust to.”Leading 23-17 at halftime, Williams urged his team not to back off.Sophomore Jenny Jansen continued to attack inside, scoring 11 of her game-high 22 points in the third period.“We didn’t have the nerves we’ve had in previous games,” said Jansen. “We’ve wanted this so bad all year, so we were ready to go.”Sutton finished with 11 points, while Toebben scored five.WARRIORS CELEBRATE DISTRICT TITLEDerrick Forsythe photo.