The Temple College men's basketball squad is down to their final two weeks of the regular season.
Wednesday evening's North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference game against Hill College is a pivotal game in the standings.
Tip-off is 5 pm at Kirby Johnson Court.
Temple and Collin County Community College are tied at 5-5 in conference played, deadlocked in fourth place for the final playoff spot. The pair are one-half game behind Southwestern Christian College for third place, two full games behind Weatherford College and three back of MCC for first place.
Ranger is one-half game behind in fifth place, and a game-and-a-half in front of Grayson College in sixth place. Hill College is the only team out of the playoff race.
When the two teams met in Hillsboro on Jan. 18, the Leopards needed overtime to down the Rebels, 90-85.
Jaymes Brown-Peterson scored 26 points off the bench, Joel Brown added 13, Camren Roper had nine points and nine rebounds, and Jonty Kells had eight points and 13 boards.
Five Rebels scored double figures. Kemauri Mellender had 23 points, Charles Okafor added 16, Theodoros Panagiotopoulos Andritsopoulos chipped in 14, and Allen Omana contributed 14.
The Leopards average 78.6 points per game, based on 38.9% shooting from the field, 26.3% from the behind the three-point line, and 63.8% from the free-throw line.
Josh Telfort (14.7 ppg. 9.3 rpg overall) averages 14.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in conference. Storm Gilchrist, who missed six conference games due to injury, averages 14.5 points per game in conference and has averaged 11.6 ppg.
Hill College averages 68 points per game, 40.2% from the field, 30.6% from behind the three-point stripe, and 71.2% from the free-throw line.
Okafor (17.1 ppg. 8.8 rpg.), Mellender (15.7 ppg), and Omana (10.8 ppg) lead the Rebels in scoring this season.
The Leopards have three games following Wednesday's tilt: at Weatherford (Feb. 22), Southwestern Christian (Feb. 26), and at MCC (March 5).
The Region V Men's Basketball Tournament starts March 12 at MCC.