For some, it may have been a less-than-ideal setting.But for Alec Tonioli, it made his accomplishment more memorable.The Warrenton senior knew heading into Friday’s meeting with state-ranked St. Charles that he was just 18 points away from the 1,000-point career mark.He also knew it would take a pristine performance by both him and his teammates to leave with a GAC victory.While Tonioli accomplished his personal milestone on a contested chip shot late in the fourth quarter, the Warriors were less fortunate, coming up on the losing end of a 74-50 rout.“Scoring 1,000 points was my main goal coming into the season,” said Tonioli. “I honestly didn’t think it would happen tonight at all, but to do it against St. Charles is a lot bigger accomplishment than against Winfield (who the Warriors play next),” said Tonioli.Coach Mike Uffmann says the Warriors struggled to stop St. Charles’ main two scorers, Casey Teson, who scored 18 points, and Chase Morfeld, who netted 13.“Our game plan was to make somebody besides Teson and Morfeld score and limit them to one shot on the boards,” said Uffmann.Trouble is, somebody else did score, but so did Teson and Morfeld.St. Charles showed early that it was eager to get up and down the floor in a fast-tempo game, an environment the Warriors weren’t prepared to thrive in.The Pirates set the tone, scoring the first five points and going on a 10-0 run to lead 15-4.“We’ve got to stop letting teams go on big runs like that,” said Uffmann. “We’ve got to hold them to six or under.”By quarter’s end, the Warriors trailed 19-13.Uffmann thought his team might be able to take advantage of its size in the paint, but he was met with an unpleasant surprise when St. Charles’ athletic Bryce Wiggs dropped 16 points and grabbed a half dozen boards.“Their post player has come a long way,” said Uffmann. “He’s polished on the inside and tough to guard.”Flustered by the dynamic trio, the Warriors trailed 40-21 by halftime.Warrenton became impatient offensively. With threes not falling, the Warriors began forcing shots in the lane.“They meet every cut with a forearm, and we have our hands down on defense,” said Uffmann. “We’ve got to be more disciplined and physical. Every point we scored, they made us earn.”By the time Tonioli dropped in his sixth field goal to cross the 1,000-point mark, the game was long decided. But it didn’t prevent St. Charles from briefly taking a moment to recognize his accomplishment, just as the Pirates had honored two of their own for a similar achievement prior to tipoff.“It’s awesome to see a kid that’s put in so much hard work,” said Uffmann. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be here all four years that he has. He’s always one of the firs in the gym and one of the last out.”Tonioli, a four-year starter, is averaging 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Warriors this season. He is the second Warrenton player to reach the milestone this season, with fellow senior Hannah Sutton accomplishing the feat in early January. The duo are the first to surpass the 1,000-point mark in seven years.“It’s a big accomplishment,” said Tonioli. “It shows all the work that I’ve put in over the last four years.”Warrenton dropped to 11-11 with the defeat, having lost six of its last eight. The Warriors travel to Winfield on Friday.TONIOLI CROSSES MILESTONEDerrick Forsythe photo.