The Warrenton girls basketball team found itself down 8-0 two minutes into the first quarter against Winfield on Feb. 7. 

However, Makayla Witthaus quickly turned the tide, scoring 10 points to put the Warriors on the board and ignite their offense. Those 10 points were the only ones Warrenton scored in the first eight minutes, but they were enough to shift momentum. Witthaus ended the game with 12 total points. 

“Yesterday, I had a good game so I came in pretty confident,” Witthaus said after the 53-42 win. “I knew today was going to be a hard game and I knew they wanted it just as bad as we did.” 

Head Coach Hannah Logan knew the direction the game was going in after going down 8-0, so she called an early timeout. 

“I had to get them refocused and just say, ‘we gotta go,’ and I think [Witthaus] really came out ready to go, so we got the ball inside and told her she has to be strong, and she finished and knocked down her free throws too,” Logan said. 

Logan noted the Warriors had to readjust after the few first minutes, adding they needed to go for more drives or jump shots. 

“Once we realized that we need to step it up and we need to play at their speed, I thought we did good,” Logan said. 

Witthaus added the constant communication and picking each other up was another area they did well in, as well as working together. 

Overall, Erin Klasing recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sophia Benke tallied 12 points and four rebounds, while Claire Goldsmith had eight points, six assists and three steals. 

This win has cemented another GAC North conference win for Warrenton. The Warriors are 4-1 in conference play after Friday night's win, and won against St. Charles West 57-46 the night prior, who was undefeated in conference play beforehand. 

Logan noted it was a huge team win and they were able to shut down St. Charles West’s Alex Nicastro, who averages 21.7 points per game. 

“We came prepared and really executed on defense, and offensively, our shots were falling so it just kept letting us build our lead,” Logan said. 

Despite dropping their first conference matchup to St. Charles 41-36 on Dec. 17, the Warriors have won four consecutive conference games. In addition, the Warriors have won eight out of their past 10 games, and improved their overall season record to 9-8. 

Warrenton still has to play every conference team again and Logan noted the second time around will be tougher. 

“Now that we’ve seen them all, I think we can prepare more and be ready to go. We just have to show up every game and not think we have it,” Logan said. “We just have to keep wanting it and wanting it more,” Witthaus added. 

The Warriors will play at Orchard Farm Feb. 14 at 5:30 p.m. Warrenton previously defeated the Eagles 45-32 on Jan. 24.