RUSSELLTON — For the first six minutes of the second half, Moniteau’s boys basketball team had the upper hand against East Allegheny.

The Warriors’ defense forced five turnovers and held the Wildcats to 0-for-5 from the field, sparking the former’s 10-0 run.

Unfortunately, it was a pace Moniteau was not able to sustain before or after its spurt as the Warriors suffered a 61-34 loss at the Deer Lakes Holiday Tournament Tuesday night.

But Moniteau coach Jerry Day can take a loss as long as his team learns from it.

“I like playing teams like this because it’s going to get us ready for conference play,” said Day. “Our kids don’t see athletic teams like this often. We didn’t return a whole lot of experience from last year and we want to get the young kids in there and build on that.”

After a slow start — the game was tied at 2-2 after three minutes of play — East Allegheny hit its stride, taking a 15-4 lead into the second quarter.

That’s when the Wildcats’ height advantage began to take full affect. Three of the team’s starters — T.J. Banks, Kazjur Redwood and Olajawan Owens — are 6-foot-3 or taller. Its top player off the bench, Gary Wooten, is 6-4.

Moniteau’s tallest player is 6-2 senior swingman Lake Pry and most of the players who saw significant playing time are shorter than 6-foot.

The Wildcats outrebounded Moniteau 13-3 in the second quarter, which translated to a 22-11 run and a 37-15 lead at the break.

“I didn’t know anything about them (Warriors) before today,” said East Allegheny coach Pete Logan. “I saw the height advantage we had during warmups. Our game plan is always to get the ball inside first. Our kids find it easier to play the game from the inside out.”

Moniteau’s run to start the second half included buckets from Pry and Gage Neal and 3-pointers courtesy of Jake Jewart and Nate Sosigian. Neal took a charge that brought the Warrior bench to its feet.

“We came after ‘em in that third quarter,” Day said. “I was really pleased with that.”

“When you have a lead like we did at halftime tonight, you want to make sure the kids aren’t complacent,” said Logan. “That’s what we’re fighting right now.”

Moniteau closed the gap to 37-25, but then watched as the Wildcats turned the tables.

Banks broke Moniteau’s momentum with a bucket, which began a 9-0 run the Wildcats used to close the quarter. They led 46-25 with eight minutes left to play.

Pry paced the Warriors (2-5) with 10 points.

East Allegheny (4-2) got 15 points from Banks, 14 from Owens and 11 out of Jahi Rox.

EAST ALLEGHENY 61

T.J. Banks 6 3-8 15, Kazjur Redwood 2 0-0 6, Cederic Blackman 3 0-0 6, Olajawan Owens 6 2-2 14, Malik Stewart 1 0-0 2, Jahi Rox 4 2-3 11, Gary Wooten 3 1-2 7, Rocco Bey 0 0-0 0, Malik Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals: 25 8-15 61.

MONITEAU 34

Lake Pry 5 0-2 10, Jake Jewart 3 0-0 8, Nate Sosigian 1 0-0 3, Josh Adamson 2 0-0 4, Nick Sosigian 1 0-0 3, Ethan McDeavitt 1 2-2 4, Gage Neal 1 0-0 2, Jamal Kimani 0 0-0 0, Brice Williams 0 0-0 0, Bobby Matthews 0 0-0 0, Tyler McFadden 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 2-4 34.

East Allegheny 15 22 9 15 — 61

Moniteau4 11 10 9 — 34

3-point goals: Moniteau 4 (Jewart 2, Na. Sosigian, Ni. Sosigian); East Allegheny 3 (Redwood 2, Rox).

Today: Moniteau vs. Perry Traditional Academy at Deer Lakes High School, 6 p.m.