Coach Ken Brown has always received at least one guarantee — maximum effort — from his Wright City boys basketball team this season.That’s why he didn’t rule out the Wildcats during their first-round matchup of the Class 3 District 6 Tournament on Tuesday.Brown wasn’t surprised that his seventh-seeded team nearly pulled off the upset against No. 2 South Callaway, ultimately falling 63-59.“These kids play extremely hard, and it started in the offseason,” said Brown. “They believe if they play up to their potential, they can beat anybody. They stay positive and keep battling.”Wright City cut a 15-point halftime deficit to two with 19 seconds remaining but struggled to connect at the free-throw line, knocking down just 4 of 13 attempts.“When you put yourself in a 15-point hole, you’ve got to play extremely well to get back in the game against a team as talented as South Callaway,” said Brown.The Wildcats matched South Callaway for much of the first half, notching the game at 14-14, before the Bulldogs closed on a 7-1 run. Wright City knocked down some contested shots and seemed to find a rhythm early.But that accuracy waivered in the second period, as South Callaway began draining three-pointers to extend its lead. The Bulldogs hit five treys during the game, with most coming at very crucial times.“Turnovers and offensive rebounds in the first half kind of got us,” said Brown. “Our defensive play was just not good overall in the first half. We were kind of flat.”South Callaway pushed its advantage to 36-21 by halftime.The Wildcats began their comeback in the third quarter after making adjustments in the locker room.“Our energy level came up a couple notches in the second half,” said Brown. “I’m real proud of my guys and how they responded.”The combination of Ty Davis’ exterior shooting and Christian Thompson’s work down low methodically cut into the margin. The Wildcats closed to within one possession on a three-pointer by Bret Noble with 47 seconds left.Wright City had several opportunities to tie the game but missed twice on and-one opportunities.“Our gameplan was to take their big guy away and that’s what we did,” said Brown. “But they still played well enough to beat us.”Noble finished with seven points, while Cody Klemp scored six.The Wildcats ended the season with a 8-15 record.

Wright City senior Cody Klemp goes to the basket against South Callaway on Tuesday.

Derrick Forsythe photo.