In a matter of 11 days, Coach Mike Uffmann watched his team go from playing its best basketball of the season to its worst. This transformation took place with no games and just one practice during a …
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Warriors Struggle Way Through Tournament
Posted
By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
In a matter of 11 days, Coach Mike Uffmann watched his team go from playing its best basketball of the season to its worst.This transformation took place with no games and just one practice during a period interrupted by winter weather, and the effects were evident.After dispatching two opponents at the North Central Missouri College Shootout in Trenton in late December, the Warriors returned to finish just 1-2 in the Clopton Tournament. The second-seeded Warriors, who won the tournament last season, were upset by No. 7 Silex 54-43 on Wednesday.Warrenton was able to rebound with a 61-50 win over Wellsville, despite another weak performance, according to Uffmann.“We were playing great basketball during the break at Trenton,” said Uffmann. “We were getting after people on defense, running in transition.”The Warriors again fell victim to their woes on Saturday, losing to Wright City in the consolation final.“We really needed a practice to prepare for these teams,” said Uffmann.Consistency has been a major area of concern for the Warriors, who never know who will supply their points on any given night.Junior Alec Tonioli dropped 47 points over the course of two games at Trenton but managed just eight points during the first two meetings at Clopton, going scoreless against Wellsville.In his defense, Uffmann says Tonioli made his presence known in other areas, dishing out nine assists. But that meant the bulk of the scoring fell into the hands of senior Ron Richardson, whonetted 34 points.“He was still making a difference on the court, but we just don’t have a lot of other guys looking to score,” said Uffmann.Over the course of the tournament Richardson actually set two records. His marks of 15 2-point field goals against Wellsville and 29 throughout the three games were both tournament bests. Despite scoring 76 points — including 23 against Wright City and 19 versus Silex — Richardson was unable to make the all-tournament team due to the Warriors’ sixth-place finish.“They both played a zone and didn’t really pressure as much,” Uffmann said of Silex and Wellsville. “They sat back and made us shoot from the outside, which we struggled with. We were definitely not on top of our shooting.”In addition to the two-dimensional offense, the Warriors also struggled on defense.“Silex sat back in the 1-3-1,” said Uffmann. “Offensively, they back-cutted us to death. We knew it was coming, but we couldn’t execute on defense.”Warrenton has had its share of notable rebounding performances, but again, the contributions have been strikingly inconsistent.Junior Craig Vardiman pulled down 22 rebounds against Wellsville but managed just two boards against Wright City, getting into foul trouble.
Warrenton senior Ron Richardson scored 76 points through three games during the Clopton Tournament.
