The Leopards Athletic Report (Week of Feb. 10-Feb. 16)
Despite the cancellation of a couple of games and the rearranging of a couple, the Temple College athletic program had a loaded week of action, both on the courts and on the diamonds.
Here is a look back and a look forward in this week's Leopards Athletic Report.
Men's basketball endures a tough week
The Temple College men's basketball team began the second half of their NTJCAC road schedule on Wednesday night in McKinney as they took on Collin County Community College.
The Cougars nipped the Leopards at the end of the contest for a 79-76 win.
Collin led at halftime, 40-33. Temple outscored the Cougars in the second half, 43-39 but came up three points short.
Temple outrebounded Collin, 49-35. However, TC committed 17 turnovers to Collin's three.
Storm Gilchrist scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench to lead the Leopards. Jaymes Brown-Peterson and Resuan Collier each at ten points.
On Saturday, the Leopards traveled to take on Grayson
The Vikings combined solid defense and timely shooting as they downed the Leopards, 91-49.
Grayson led at the half, 49-15, and outscored Temple in the second half, 42-34.
Where they stand
16-10 overall, 5-5 NTJCAC, tied for 4th place with Collin, four games to play. The top four teams in the NTJCAC will play at the 2025 NJCAA Region V Tournament March 12-15 at MCC.
This week
The Leopards will host Hill College on Wednesday at Kirby Johnson Court at 7 pm. On Saturday, Temple will travel to take on Weatherford College at 4 pm.
Women's basketball splits pair of conference affairs
The Temple College women's basketball team looked to avenge an earlier loss to Collin County Community College Wednesday night in McKinney.
Temple outlasted the pesky Cougars, 79-67.
The Leopards outscored the Cougars in the first quarter, 26-12, and led Collin at the half, 44-31. TC extended their lead to 18 at the end of the third quarter, 67-49.
Temple shot 54% from the floor, 5-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc, and converted 12-of-19 free throws.
The Leopards received balance scoring in the contest, with Mychal White having led the way with 19 points, Jaylice Rosario added 18, Imany McCray chipped in 15, and Biva Byrd scored 12 off the bench.
Temple returned to the road on Saturday, as they took on the Grayson College Vikings.
The Leopards were unable to keep up with the Vikings' offense and sustained an 81-64 loss.
Where they stand
The Leopard stand at 16-9 overall. They are at 6-5 NTJCAC in fifth place, five games to play. The top four teams will qualify for the NJCAA Region V Tournament March 12-15 at MCC.
Next week
The Leopards will host Hill College at Kirby Johnson Court Wednesday at 5 pm. Temple will hit the road on Saturday as they take on Weatherford College at 2 pm.
Rosario picks up second NTJCAC Player of the Week honor
Temple College women's basketball player Jaylice Rosario continues her successful freshman season, as she was named North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Rosario, a redshirt freshman from Maloney High School in New Haven, Conn., recorded a pair of double-doubles for the Leopards this past week.
At Cisco College, Rosario had 17 points, having shot over 50% from beyond the three-point line, and pulled down 18 rebounds in Temple's 69-51 win.
Against Ranger College, Rosario logged 15 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist in the Leopards' 79-44 victory over the Rangers.
In the 2024-2025 season, Rosario averaged 14.4 points through 22 games. In eight games conference play, Rosario has stepped her game with a 16.5 points per game average, has shot 44% from the field, and is 68.4% from the free-throw line.
The award is the second for Rosario this season, she collected honors for the week ending January 4th.
Baseball drops pair of tight games at Alvin
Weather cancelled a game at Navarro College on Tuesday, which delayed the start of Temple College baseball's schedule until Friday, as they made a trip to the Houston suburbs on Friday as they took on the Alvin Community College Dolphins at Phillips Baseball Field.
Runs were hard to come by over the course of two seven-inning games, as the Leopards came up short in both contests.
The scores of the doubleheader were 4-3 and 2-1.
Temple dropped to 3-6 overall.
In the opener, the Leopards grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Brayden Simmons doubled home Sage Sanders. TC doubled the lead in the fourth, when Kolvin Davis blasted his second homer of the season.
The Dolphins tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a ground out and sacrifice fly.
Simmons launched a home run in the top of the sixth to give the Leopards a 3-2 lead.
However, RBI singles in the sixth and seventh by the Dolphins earned Alvin the game one victory.
Simmons went 3-of-4 to pace the Leopards' six-hit attack, with a homer and two doubles.
Patrick Collopy started on the hill, but did not factor in the decision. He pitched five innings, allowed two runs on two hits, struck out five, and walked three.
Micah Melott pitched an inning, allowed a run on three hits, and struck out one.
Caleb Barry-Smith picked up the loss, as he pitched 1/3 inning, allowed one run, one hit, and two hits while having struck out one.
In the second game, a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning gave Alvin a 2-0 lead.
Kash Millar's solo shot over the left field wall with one out in the fourth put the Leopards on the board.
TC had an opportunity to tie the game in the top of the seventh. With a pair of runners on and two outs, the Dolphins got a groundout to end the game and clinch the doubleheader.
Millar and Lance Cantrell each had two hits to lead the Leopards' seven-hit output.
Tobin Eschief pitched well but took the loss. He allowed two runs on three hits, struck out two and walked seven. Eric Tenery pitched an inning, walked one and struck out one.
Where they stand
The Leopards are 3-6 overall with eight non-conference games left
This week
Temple will travel to Wharton County Junior College for a doubleheader Monday at 1 pm and 3:30 pm. The Leopards will host a pair of doubleheaders over the weekend against Alvin Community College and Angelina College. The doubleheaders are on Friday and Saturday but may be scheduled to change due to potential weather issues. Be sure to follow TC Baseball on Twitter/X (@TC_Leopards) for the latest information.
Softball goes 2-2 for the week
The Temple College Leopards softball team hosted San Jacinto-South in a doubleheader at a chilly, windy Danny Scott Athletic Complex on Wednesday.
The Ravens took home a pair of one-run victories over TC. The scores of the doubleheader were 2-1 and 7-6 in nine innings.
Game one starting pitcher Haley Crawford and San Jac starter Kaelin Hicks were locked up in a pitcher's duel throughout the opener.
Temple grabbed the first lead of the game on a double steal by Ma'Rya Quarles, who scored, and Marli Kennedy in the bottom of the second inning.
The Leopards' momentum changed in the third inning. Angie DeLeon and Lily Garcia singled to start the inning. Shortstop Madison Carr caught Reese Cottrell's line out, flipped a throw to Peyton Watson to force out DeLeon, and Watson fired a relay throw to Larissa Ramos to force Garcia out for a triple play to end the inning.
The spark helped the Ravens take the lead in the top of the fourth. With one out, Yadira Ortiz's two-run double score Madelyn Perez and Watson to put San Jac up, 2-1.
Crawford retired the next 11 batters she faced. However, the Leopards were unable to get the equalizer over the next four at-bats, having stranded four on base in the process.
Kennedy and Marleigh Manns combined for four of Temple's seven hits.
Crawford took the hard-luck loss, as she pitched seven innings, allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, walked two, and struck out a career-high nine.
A pair of first-inning errors in the second game landed an unearned run across the play for the Ravens. They extended their lead to four runs in the top of the second on a bases-loaded walk to Perez, and RBI singles by Watson and Ortiz to give an Jac a 4-0 advantage.
The Leopards evened the score in the bottom of the second. A sacrifice by Jasmine Benavidez. With the bases loaded and two outs, Manns blistered a shot to the right-centerfield gap to clear the bases and landed on third to tie the game at 4-4.
An RBI single by Alicia Briones allowed San Jac to retake the lead in fifth inning, and Briones' bases-loaded hit-by-pitch gave the Ravens a two-run lead.
The Leopards rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Benavidez and Anissa Hill singled to start the inning. With two outs and down to her final strike, DeLeon belted a two-run double to the left-centerfield gap to tie the game 6-6. Garcia walked, and the pair stole a base to put two runners in scoring position. Breanna Calhoun's groundout ended the rally and forced extra innings.
Crawford, who took over in relief of Hannah Calhoun (left in the second inning) and Cottrell (left in the fifth inning) in the circle, was able to get the Leopards into the top of the ninth. An overthrow to first base allowed Watson to reach second. Ortiz's RBI single gave the Ravens a 7-6 lead.
Delgado reached on a leadoff single to start the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, pinch-hitter Lexi Dudeczka singled and Kennedy was hit by a pitch for a second time to load the bases. Abby Drabek hit a deep fly ball to left that Bree Winklemann chased down for the final out.
Ten different Leopards had hits, with Benevidez the only TC player with two hits.
Hannah Calhoun pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowed four runs (three earned) on one hit, walked five and struck out one. Cottrell pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowed one run (unearned) on two hits and struck out one. Crawford took her second tough loss of the day, having tossed five innings of relief, allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits, walked one and struck out five.
On Saturday, the Leopards hosted Galveston College.
Temple went nine innings for the win in game one, and needed just five innings for the game two victory.
Scores of the doubleheader were 3-2 and 11-1.
The Leopards took the lead in the fourth inning on an error that scored Garcia.
Breigh Houser's single scored a pair of runs to give the Whitecaps a 2-1 in the fifth.
Manns' sacrifice fly scored Dudeczka in the bottom of the inning.
Crawford and Galveston's Jenna Johnston held the opposition through the next four innings until the bottom of the ninth.
With one out, Dudeczka sacrifice bunted Paige Findley to third. On an 0-2 pitch, Benavidez blasted a line drive to left field to score Findley to win the game.
Benavidez collected three of Temple's seven hits.
Crawford picked up the win in the circle, as she allowed two runs on four hits, struck out seven and walked three.
Johnston picked up the loss, as she dealt 8 2/3 innings, allowed three runs on seven hits, struck out ten and walked two.
Hannah Calhoun issued a leadoff walk to start the game and then proceeded to retire the next ten batters.
Temple's bats came to life, as they scored three times in the first. Garcia singled home Manns to start the scoring. Camryn Dunkley walked in her first plate appearance of the season to score Garcia. Kennedy walked to score Dudeczka, as Temple led 3-0.
A single, error, and walk set the tone in the Temple second. Garcia's fielder's choice scored Manns, Delgado scored on Dudeczka's fielder's choice, Benavidez's single scored Garcia and Delgado to put Temple up 7-0.
DeLeon pounded a two-run homer to left field in the third inning to increase Temple's advantage to 9-0.
Kendall Gross reached on an error that scored Benavidez, and Delgado's RBI groundout lifted the lead to 11-0.
Jordyn Comer's single and three-base error snapped the Leopards shutout in the top of the fifth.
Manns and DeLeon each collected two hits to help pace Temple's eight-hit output. DeLeon, Garcia, and Benavidez contributed two RBI each.
Calhoun picked up the complete game win, as she allowed an unearned run on three hits, walked one and struck out one.
Where they stand
The Leopards are 11-3 overall, with eight non-conference games remaining until NTJCAC action begins.
This week
As of Sunday, The Leopards will face Western Texas College in a doubleheader on Monday in Snyder. On Tuesday, Temple will travel to Big Spring to face Howard College in a twin-bill. On Friday and Saturday, the Leopards will travel to Odessa to take on the Wranglers and Otero College. Weather could be an issue in West Texas during the week.