Recognizing he was going to be out-matched in terms of physical stature, Christian Thompson plotted to make up for the disadvantage.The Wright City senior turned out to be the deciding factor in Thursday’s 47-41 semifinal win over top-seeded Warrenton in the Hermann Tournament.It was the second consecutive win over their county rival for the Wildcats, who entered the field as the No. 4 seed. Last time the two teams met, it was for the consolation title of the Clopton Tournament.This time the stakes were higher, and Wright City embraced the challenge to reach its first tournament championship in seven seasons.“We looked at this as a rivalry match to go into the championship game,” said Thompson. “We were  really determined to win this one.”The desire was evident from the opening tip, as the Wildcats quickly gained control despite an inability to knock down outside shots early. “They came out and played hard to win the 50-50 battle,” said Warrenton Coach Mike Uffmann. “That just comes down to who wants it more.”Warrenton scored the final five points of the first quarter, taking its only lead at 8-7.The 5-foot-11 Thompson, giving up at least five inches to the Warriors’ trio of post players, compensated for his lack of height effectively.“I used my strength and really worked on jumping to get as high as I can,” said Thompson. “My vertical can make up for my lack of height.”He crashed the boards as his teammates went after steals and loose balls in the open court. Senior Bret Noble missed a couple of early three-point attempts, but quickly got on the board with consecutive transition buckets to lift the Wildcats to a 12-point second-quarter lead.“All year we’ve had that one bad quarter in every game, and this time it was the second quarter,” lamented Uffmann.Noble teamed up with senior Ty Davis, who led Wright City with a game-high 16 points, to push the Wildcats ahead 24-16 at halftime.At the break, Wright City discussed keeping up the intensity while Uffmann urged his team to initiate a better effort.“They were ready to go from the start,” said Uffmann. “By the time our guys got fired up, it was too little too late.”Warrenton found itself one-and-done on many possessions, as the Wildcats grabbed as many as four offensive boards on a trip down the floor.“Christian played a big part of it,” said Davis. “He boxed out all their big posts and really helped us out.”Uffmann says his team wasn’t persistent enough in the paint, settling too easily for outside shots that weren’t falling. Leading scorer Alec Tonioli hit just two field goals and was held to half his season average with eight points.“They crowded the line to make it tougher on our bigs,” said Uffmann. “We didn’t get enough post touches. When we made our runs, it was through our posts.”Wright City led 34-24 after three quarters.Senior Ryan Bradshaw closed the gap to five with 3:12 remaining, but Noble answered the three-pointer on the next trip down the floor.The Warriors climbed to within four twice in the final minute but couldn’t make the necessary stops to finish the comeback.“We didn’t communicate through our problems, and then some of the guys want to take matters into their own hands,” said Uffmann. “They get impatient and start forcing shots.”Senior Craig Vardiman led Warrenton with 14 points, while freshman Randy McRoberts scored six.Noble netted 13 points, and Thompson added 10.WILDCATS DEFEAT WARRIORSDerrick Forsythe photo.