For the second consecutive game, the Warrenton boys basketball team used a fast start to its advantage in grabbing a 70-13 victory against North County Christian in the opening round of the Bank of …
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For the second consecutive game, the Warrenton boys basketball team used a fast start to its advantage in grabbing a 70-13 victory against North County Christian in the opening round of the Bank of Old Monroe (BOOM) Classic in Winfield.
With the game tied at two in the opening minute, the Warriors went on a 21-1 run to close the door on North County early. That run was aided by a stellar defensive effort that saw the Warriors force seven turnovers in the first quarter alone.
Warrenton Head Coach Mark Thomas was pleased with his team’s work on defense.
“As long as we can do it with no hands, that’s what I want all season,” Thomas said of his team’s aggressive defensive play. “I’m a defensive-minded coach since that was what I was good at, and that’s what I will keep harping on. They are a good group of guys on offense, so they don’t really need me much there.”
In the middle of the first quarter, Brenden Smith cut in front of a Knights pass and turned the steal into points to put the Warriors up 8-2.
The senior guard had four steals in the game.
After its win against Wright City, Thomas voiced concern about Warrenton’s offensive rebounding, but that facet of the game was much-improved against North County Christian.
“We got after it a little better tonight on the glass. We worked hard in practice this week on boxing out. We worked hard at paying attention to detail,” Thomas said.
The Warriors’ defensive rebounding transitioned to easy lay-ins on the other end. Struggles from behind the arc in the first half were moot as the Knights couldn’t keep up with the Warriors’ pace. Smith scored six of his nine points in the first quarter on easy transition lay-ins.
That continued into the second quarter, as Warrenton extended its lead with baskets in transition and Randy McRoberts nailing a pair of 3-pointers to extend the lead to 28-4 with six minutes left in the first half. The senior went 6-of-8 from the floor in the first two quarters.
Warrenton shot 60 percent from the field as a team in the half.
There wasn’t much drop off offensively in the second half, with Warrenton shooting 11 of 21 from the floor. After a quiet first half, junior Jake Tonioli hit two 3-pointers and scored eight of his 12 points in the second half.
For Warrenton, McRoberts finished with a game-high 17 points. Senior Brandon Molinari pulled down eight rebounds.
The win sets up a date with fourth-seeded Christian High School on Thursday in Winfield. The Eagles defeated Elsberry, 54-31, in the first round of the classic. Warrenton’s defense will have to contend with a team that shot 53 percent from the field in its opening round matchup and spread the scoring around – eight players scored in the game.
“It would be nice to get out to a fast start against Christian,” Thomas said. “They are a really well-coached team. They’ve got a lot of nice guys out there – a mix of new guys and older guys leading them. It will be a tough task to get off to this kind of start against them because they like to play like that, too.”
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