Credit: Photo by Dominic Vargas
By Tony Adams, for Temple College
This week (Jan. 8-14), the Leopards and Lady Leopards begin North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference basketball schedules. The men (9-6) have one conference and one non-conference game, while the women (13-0, NJCAA No. 18) will have two conference contests.
This week’s Temple College Athletics schedule includes:
- On Wednesday, both basketball teams will begin North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference play with a trip to Denison to take on Grayson College. The women’s game starts at 5 p.m. and the men’s basketball team will follow at 7 p.m.
- On Saturday, the women’s basketball team will take on Cisco College in a 2 p.m. matchup in Cisco.
No. 18 TC women’s basketball stays undefeated with win over No. 21 Blinn, rout of Jacksonville
On Friday, Jan. 4, the women’s basketball team hosted the Blinn College Buccaneers in a battle of National Junior College Athletic Association ranked teams.
The Leopards faced their first dose of prolonged adversity of the year, as the Buccaneers pressed TC throughout the contest. The Leopards were able to edge Blinn out in the final seconds, 78-75.
Credit: Steve Lemmons, Temple College
Temple jumped out to an 11-0 lead and held a seven-point advantage at the end of the opening 10 minutes, 24-17.
Blinn began to crawl back into the second quarter and trailed the Leopards at the half, 41-39.
The Buccaneers began the third quarter on a 15-4 run and edged out to a nine-point lead, 54-45.
TC bounced back with a 15-5 stretch of their own and led at the end of the third quarter, 60-59.
Blinn led 75-74 inside the final 30 seconds before two field goals by TC gave the Leopards the three-point win.
The Leopards converted 17-of-29 free-throws in the contest. Kira Bass led four Leopards in double-figures as she registered double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Evelyn Lorenzo contributed 16 points and seven assists, Wilashia Burleson added 14 points and six rebounds, and Erika Suarez poured in 10 points and pulled in six rebounds.
Tocarra Johnson scored 14 points and Wynter Jones added 13 points for the Buccaneers, who were 10-of-25 from the charity stripe.
On Saturday, Jan. 5, the women’s basketball team hosted the Jacksonville College Jaguars.
The Leopards led the entire 40 minutes, as 10 different Leopards scored in the game and they cruised to a 50-point win over the Jaguars, 78-28.
TC jumped out to a 20-7 lead after 10 minutes and led by 27 points at halftime, 39-12. The Leopards were able to flex their bench as they had a 38-point lead at the end of three quarters, 60-22.
Four Leopards scored in double-figures, led by Lorenzo’s 16 points. Suarez added 14 points and Bass and Tia Mitchell each chipped in 10 points. TC was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Childera Ezeilo led the Jaguars with 10 points. The Jaguars converted 5-of-7 free-throws.
TC men’s basketball wins OT thriller over Fort Cavazos
The Temple College men’s basketball team won their lone game of last week, though requiring an extra session to do so.
Credit: Photo by Dominic Vargas
Leopards vs. Fort Cavazos (Jan. 6)
The Leopards hosted the Fort Cavazos Phantom Warriors in a contest that was scheduled on short notice.
With both teams holding nine-point leads at certain junctures of the game, the teams played a tight game throughout regulation.
The Leopards outscored the Phantom Warriors 10-6 in the extra period to lift TC to a 100-96 win.
Theo Grant led the Leopards with 27 points, which included six in overtime, to lead five TC players in double-figures. Caleb Gaston added 14 points, Henry Sanchez-Perez added 11 points, and Andrew Iyamah and Jacob Taitte each scored ten points.
The Leopards trailed 48-45 at the half and faced a 54-45 margin a minute into the second half. TC went 19-of-24 from the free-throw line.
Ronald Trapps and Randall Haley each scored 28 points for Fort Cavazos.
ABOUT TEMPLE COLLEGE
Temple College is “Your Community’s College,” a dynamic and growing community college that equips thousands of Central Texas students with the knowledge and skills for 21st-century success. Temple College, which has campuses in Temple, Hutto and Taylor, offers more than 75 degree and certificate programs to students who seek to earn credits for transfer, graduate with an associate degree or complete a certificate for fast entry into the workforce.
Founded in 1926, Temple College has enjoyed a reputation for academic excellence for 97 years. It is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs, from visual and performing arts to competitive athletics. The College has become one of the state’s premiere institutions for health care providers’ education and training, advanced manufacturing, and workforce development programs. The faculty and staff are committed to providing exceptional quality instruction.