When his Wright City boys basketball team received the fourth seed in the Hermann Tournament in early January, Rick Halteman didn’t feel it was an accurate depiction of his team’s ability.But the Wildcats’ record was less than convincing at the time, and the first-year coach figured his argument would go unrewarded.So when Wright City left the tournament on Saturday with the second-place trophy, having lost 67-63 to St. James in the title game, Halteman couldn’t help but feel a little vindication.It was the Wildcats’ first appearance in the championship game since 2007, when it defeated New Haven.“I’m really proud of our guys,” said Halteman. “I felt like we accomplished a lot this week. I don’t think anybody really gave us the credit for being as good of team as we are.”The Wildcats played at a higher level than they had all season, forging a consistency that hadn’t previously existed.“I’m glad we played well enough in this tournament to get to the championship game, and it’s opened up some people’s eyes,” said Halteman.Finally, the Wildcats are relevant again, having finished on the winners’ side in both of their tournament appearances this year.“It meant a lot, because it’s been seven years since Wright City has even been in a championship game,” said senior Christian Thompson, who averaged a double-double during the tournament. “We would’ve liked to have gotten first, but getting second place is still a really big accomplishment for us, because we’re still improving as a team.”Wright City was a few defensive stops away from taking home the first-place trophy, leading by 59-56 with 3:31 remaining.The teams traded three-pointers in the closing moments, but the Wildcats continued to rely on the long-range shot even after they quit falling.“They were really up in our face, and I don’t think we were expecting it,” said senior Bret Noble, of St. James’ defense. “We started off setting a lot of ball screens, because we knew (Noah Bartle) sagged off and didn’t hedge. It opened up a lot.”After falling behind 15-11 in the first quarter, an offensive outburst in the second period that included four three-pointers gave the Wildcats a 35-29 halftime lead.But the Wildcats went stagnant again in the third, managing just three field goals. Seniors Ty Davis and Noble, who each scored a team-best 15 points, went without a bucket during that stretch.“When they went to their trapping zone, we kind of got out of rhythm,” said Halteman.Despite the lull, Wright City put itself in position for the win late but gave up too many easy baskets down the stretch.“Defensively, we just couldn’t get around certain screens that were being set,” said Halteman. “We didn’t see it soon enough. They really executed well on some of their set plays.”Noble hit back-to-back threes to open the fourth quarter, and Wright City added another two in the closing moments, but St. James reclaimed the lead for good with 13 seconds left.Thompson finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, closing out what he called the best tournament showing ever.“This is most definitely one of the better weeks of my career,” said Thompson. “I don’t know where it came from. I got several blocks last game, have been scoring a high amount of points and been able to stay out of foul trouble to stay in the game on defense.”“Christian was all-out hustle this tournament,” said Halteman. “He was outsized, but it really didn’t matter. He was able to overcome that. He plays with a lot of passion and energy.”The Wildcats hung their heads after the loss — a sign that the expectations within the program have quickly been raised.“I think everybody was surprised at how well we did, and it meant a lot,” said Noble.WILDCATS FINISH SECONDDerrick Forsythe photo.