Temple loses opener
Temple's seventh-grade team lost its season-opener to St. Jude 35-28 on Tuesday at Vance Gym.
The Crusaders started the game strong by getting the ball in the post. Then with two starters plagued with foul trouble in the second and third quarters, Temple let the lead slip out of its hands. With the game close in the fourth quarter, St. Jude hit its free throws down the stretch to pull out the victory.
LaDarius Peck led Temple with a game-high 14 points.
"Today was a good learning experience, we just need to slow it down when the pressure comes and keep giving it to the post players," Temple middle school coach David Wiedenbenner said. "We are still learning not to foul, but I am very proud of everyone for playing hard the whole game."
Stats
LaDarius Peck 14 points
Aristotle O'Hara 6 points
Torriq Davis 4 points
Davey White 2 points
Nick Russell 2 points
Temple gets first win
Temple’s seventh grade team used a big fourth quarter to post its first win of the season on Thursday.
The Crusaders (1-1) outscored host Berean 14-4 in the fourth quarter for a 32-23 victory.
Big men LaDarius Peck (13 points) and Aristotle O’Hara (10 points) led Temple with a strong performace inside, combining for 23 points.
“L.D. (Peck) and A.O. (O’Hara) came up big for us inside,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “We really didn’t play that great in the first three quarters, but we pulled it together in the fourth quarter. It feels good to come back and get our first win after losing the first one.”
Stats
LaDarius Peck 13 points
Aristotle O’Hara 10 points
Nick Russell 5 points
Torriq Davis 2 points
Davey White 2 points
Temple falls
Boyd Buchanan scored double digits in all four quarters en route to a 48-28 win over Temple's seventh grade team on Friday at Vance Gym.
“We played hard, Boyd’s defensive pressure was just too much,” said Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner, whose team dropped to 1-2.
Aristotle O’Hara (10 points) and LaDarius Peck (10 points) combined for 20 points in a losing cause.
Stats
Aristotle O’Hara 10 points
LaDarius Peck 10 points
Torriq Davis 6 points
Nick Russell 2 points
Temple rallies for win
Just as it did in an earlier win against Berean, Temple’s seventh-grade team used a strong fourth quarter to rally past Spalding 27-24 on Monday.
The Crusaders (2-2) overcame a slow start by outscoring host Spalding 11-5 in the fourth quarter.
LaDarius Peck led Temple with 13 points. He was the only Crusader in double figures.
“We got excellent guard play from Nick (Russell) and Davey (White), and Torriq (Davis) really provided a big boost in the backcourt, too,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “LD (LaDarius Peck) and A.O. (Aristotle O’Hara) played well again inside. Overall, we played as a team; we were unselfish. That put us over the top.”
Stats
LaDarius Peck 13 points
Nick Russell 6 points
Aristotle O’Hara 5 points
Torriq Davis 2 points
Davey White 1 point
Fourth quarter magic continues
Another game, another fourth quarter comeback for Temple’s seventh grade team.
This time, the Crusaders outscored visiting Belvoir Christian 15-2 in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 40-28 victory at Vance Gym on Saturday.
“We had our biggest challenge of the year because (BCA) had a 6-foot-2 post guy,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “But we did a good job of guarding him. L.D. and A.O. never backed down. And our guards helped, too, by turning up the defense on the perimeter.”
LaDarius Peck scored a game-and-season-high 21 points to lead Temple, which improved to 3-2 with its second straight win and third in the last four games.
Stats
LaDarius Peck 21 points
Aristotle O’Hara 8 points
Davey White 6 points
Phillip Edens 3 points
Nick Russell 2 points
Temple wins rematch
St. Jude came into Vance Gym a few weeks ago and walked away with a win.
Temple returned the favor on Monday, beating St. Jude at its place.
Aristotle O’Hara had 16 points and LaDarius Peck added nine to lead the Crusaders, who avenged a 35-28 loss to St. Jude in the season-opener.
Temple had a strong first half and led 23-12 at halftime. St. Jude outscored Temple 11-4 in the third quarter to draw closer, but the Crusaders were able to hold on for the win.
Temple improved to 4-2 with its third straight win and fourth in the past five games.
“Aristotle had a phenomenal game,” Temple coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “Torriq played great, too. He had six points and 12 steals, and I thought that was the highlight of the night. He helped us secure the victory.”
Stats
Aristotle O’Hara 16 points
LaDarius Peck 9 points
Torriq Davis 6 points
Davey White 5 points
Nick Russell 1 point
3-game win streak halted
Temple couldn’t get going offensively on Tuesday, and as a result saw its three-game win streak snapped as OLPH cruised to a 34-23 victory.
The second quarter proved to be the difference. OLPH out-scored Temple 12-4 to build a 22-13 halftime cushion in which the Crusaders never could put a dent into despite limiting OLPH to only 12 second half points.
Temple slipped to 4-3.
“We never could get our offense flowing,” Temple coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “We picked up the defense in the second half, we just had a hard time scoring.”
Stats
LaDarius Peck 8 points
Davey White 7 points
Torriq Davis 4 points
Aristotle O'Hara 4 points
Temple falls
OLPH took advantage of a slow start by Temple and held on for a 28-22 victory on Friday at Vance Gym.
The Crusaders slipped to 5-4 despite 10 points from Aristotle O’Hara.
“We got off to a slow start and we were really never able to overcome that,” Temple middle school cach Dave Wiedenbenner said.
Stats Aristotle O’Hara 10 points
LaDarius Peck 5 points
Torriq Davis 3 points
Davey White 2 points
Nick Russell 2 points
O'Hara, Peck lead way
Aristotle O’Hara and LaDarius Peck combined for 21 points to lead Temple to a 31-23 victory over visiting Berean on Saturday.
O’Hara had 11 and Peck 10 for the Crusaders, who improved to 6-4.
“A.O (O’Hara) and L.D. (Peck) were too much for Berean,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “And I thought our guards, Davey (White) and Nick (Russell) did a good job of handling the ball under pressure and running the offense. That’s one reason A.O. and L.D. were so successful inside.”
Temple outscored Berean 13-7 in the second quarter, providing it with the cushion it needed in the second half.
Stats
Aristotle O’Hara 11 points
LaDarius Peck 10 points
Davey White 8 points
Torriq Davis 2 points
Temple loses
Grace led by 14 points at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, cruising to a 72-34 victory over Temple on Tuesday at Vance Gym.
The Crusaders trailed 40-16 at halftime and 62-25 at the end of third quarter. Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner was understandably upset over the loss. He was even more upset at what he viewed as unsportsmanlike conduct on Grace’s part.
“If (Grace) wants to keep their starters in and press while they are up 30 points against my subs, then I have lost respect for their coach,” Wiedenbenner said.
LaDarius Peck led Temple with 15 points in a losing cause. The Crusaders slipped to 6-5.
Stats
LaDarius Peck 15 points
Aristotle O’Hara 6 points
Nick Russell 6 points
Davey White 4 points
Torriq Davis 2 points
Temple falls
Temple had a difficult time handling Boyd-Buchanan’s press and as a result lost 29-17 on Monday at Boyd.
“My guards really didn’t play that poorly,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “They actually were solid on defense and gave us good guard play. We just couldn’t overcome Boyd’s press. They got up on us and we couldn’t make up the deficit.”
Aristotle O’Hara led Temple (6-6) with eight points.
Stats
Aristotle O’Hara 8 points
LaDarius Peck 5 points
Davey White 4 points
Temple drops close one
On a day when scoring was hard to come by, Tennessee Temple came up with the biggest basket when it needed it most.
LaDarius Peck’s basket in the final minute – Temple’s lone points of the second half – proved to be the game-winner as the Crusaders escaped with an ugly 15-14 victory over Spalding.
“Obviously, that was a big shot,” Temple coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “Both teams really struggled offensively. We couldn’t get anything to fall for us. Fortunately, Spalding couldn’t either. It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. We’ll take it.”
Temple (7-6) moved one game above the .500 mark.
Stats
LaDarius Peck 5 points
Davey White 5 points
Philip Edens 3 points
Nick Russell 2 points
Regular season ends with setback
Grace scored early and often on Thursday and cruised to a 49-11 victory over visiting Temple in the regular season finale for both teams.
Temple trailed 23-0 at the end of the first quarter and 30-0 at halftime before finally scoring in the third quarter.
“It was one of those games where we couldn’t get anything to fall for us,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “And Grace is good. It wasn’t a good combination.”
Temple finished the regular season 7-7. The Crusaders will face St. Jude on Monday at 4 p.m. in the opening round of the ISC Tournament to be staged at OLPH.
Temple and St. Jude split during the regular season.
“If we play, we’ll have a chance to win,” Wiedenbenner said. “Obviously, we’ll have to play much better than we did against Grace if we hope to have a chance.”
Stats
LaDarius Peck 4 points
Davey White 4 points
Nick Russell 3 points
Temple rallies for W
Temple outscored St. Jude 18-8 in the second half Monday to rally for a 26-21 victory in the opening round of the ISC Tournament staged at OLPH.
LaDaris Peck led the Temple with 10 points. Nick Russell added nine and Aristotle O’Hara six for the Crusaders, who advances to play Grace in Thursday’s semifinals.
Temple limited St. Jude to just two points in the fourth quarter.
“We got off to a slow start, but we were able to hit a few shots in the second half and come back and win,” said Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner, whose team improved to 8-7. “Nick Russell had a couple of fast break baskets, which were big. Our defense was much better in the second half, too. And we hit our free throws. We missed all five (of free throw attempts) in the first half. . . we made four of five in the second half.”
Stats
LaDaris Peck 10 points
Nick Russell 9 point
Aristotle O’Hara 6 points
Davey White 1 point
Temple falls
Temple managed only two points in the second half Thursday as Grace rolled to a 61-17 victory in the semifinals of the ISC Tournament.
The Crusaders trailed by only seven points, 17-10, at the end of the first quarter. But it was all downhill after that point.
LaDaris Peck led Temple with 10 points – all coming in the first half. He was the only player in double figures for the Crusaders (8-8), who will have to settle for Friday’s consolation game.
“We ran our man offense very well in the first half and they could not stop LD,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “But Grace went to a zone in the second half and we started turning it over. That sealed our fate.”
Stats
LaDaris Peck 10 points
Davey White 4 points
Aristotle O’Hara 1 point
Crusaders storm back
After trailing by as many as nine points in the third quarter, Temple rallied for a 28-26 victory over OLPH on Friday in the consolation game of the ISC Tournament.
The Crusaders captured third place in the tournament to cap a 9-8 season.
Aristotle O’Hara had a team-high 10 points – all coming in the second half – including a pair of free throws in the final eight seconds to seal the victory. Fellow post player LaDaris Peck added seven points for the Crusaders, who scored five points in the final 23 seconds.
“When we were down by nine late in the third quarter I reminded my guys to stick with the game plan and feed it to our post players,” Temple coach David Wiedenbenner sai
O’Hara responded with six straight points while Torriq Davis (6 points, 5 steals) stole the ball and raced by four defenders to cut the lead to three entering the fourth quarter.
OLPH forged ahead by seven with under three minutes remaining only to see Temple storm back thanks to full-court pressure.
‘We normally don’t press because we know our strength is to slow it down and pound it to LD and AO in the post,” Wiedenbenner said. “It had worked for us all year, but time was running out. During the timeout, I told them to leave it all on the court. . .this was their last game and they had nothing to hold back.”
With OLPH clinging to a three-point lead in the waning seconds, Davis came up with yet another steal and dished to Davey White, who drained just his third trey of the season from the top of the key. Temple forced another turnover, and then went inside to O’Hara who was fouled as he attempted a shot. O’Hara, a 35 percent free throw shooter, calmly sank both free throws to give Temple the lead.
OLPH advanced the ball to halfcourt and called a timeout to no avail as it never got off another shot
'I told my guys that defense is what we do best. . . that’s what we preach at Temple and now we have a chance to win this game with our defense,’ Wiedenbenner said. “And that’s what we did.” Stats
Aristotle O’Hara 10 points
LaDaris Peck 7 points
Torriq Davis 6 points
Davey White 3 points
Nick Russell 2 points
Temple wins opener
Temple's eighth-grade team overcame a sluggish start in its season-opener on Tuesday and rallied for a 41-39 overtime victory over visiting St. Jude.
Jacqueze Robinson led the comeback, pumping in 20 of his game-high 25 points in the second half and overtime. The highly-entertaining lefty scored all seven of his team's points in overtime to help seal the deal.
After getting off to a slow start and digging a hole early, the Crusaders found themselves down 17-4 early in the second quarter. Temple then turned up the defensive pressure and went on an 8-0 run making it 17-12 at the half.
In the second half, Robinson took over.
"I am very proud of everyone on the team, each player provided quality minutes tonight," Temple middle school coach David Wiedenbenner said. "They just kept battling and chipping away at the lead. They never quit and gave it their all the whole game, and as a coach that is all I can ask for. We did a better job on the boards in the second half, and Jacqueze really stepped up his game hitting a pair of huge free throws and buckets down the stretch and in OT."
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 25 points
Michael Taylor 8 points
Andrew Johnson 5 points
Will Sexton 3 points
Temple nabs OT win
Temple’s eighth-grade team had to work overtime on Friday to post its second consecutive win to open the season. Check that. Make that double overtime.
The Crusaders outscored visiting Boyd-Buchanan 5-2 in the decisive second overtime period to walk away with a thrilling, albeit low-scoring 32-29 victory.
Temple (2-0) had balanced scoring, led by Jacqueze Robinson’s nine points. Justin Johnston (8 points) and Andrew Johnson (7 points) combined for 15 points for the Crusaders, who won their season-opener against St. Jude in overtime.
Robinson and Justin Johnson combined for five 3-pointers, with Robinson hitting three and Johnson two.
“It took a strong defensive effort by our entire team to win,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “We were able to keep it close throughout and then make the plays when we needed to at the end.”
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 9 points
Justin Johnston 8 points
Andrew Johnson 7 points
Will Sexton 5 points
Ezekiel Rudolph 3 points
Temple suffers first loss
Word had it that Spalding had a really good 8th-grade team this season. No kidding.
Spalding led 14-2 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back on Monday, whipping Temple 50-19.
It was the first loss of the season for the Crusaders (2-1), who had won their first two games in overtime and double overtime, respectively.
As close as those two games were, this one was just as lopsided. Spalding led 37-6 at halftime and 45-10 at the end of third quarter.
"We were never in it,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “It’s going to take a much better effort to play with them than what we showed today.
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 15 points
Justin Johnston 2 points
Will Sexton 2 points
Temple loses second straight
Another slow start proved too much for Temple’s 8th grade team to overcome on Tuesday.
Host David Brainerd led 17-4 at the end of the first quarter and Temple never recovered. Although the Crusaders played better over the last three quarters, they never could catch up after digging themselves too big of a hole in the first quarter.
“Turnovers really hurt us tonight,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “We fought back in the second and third quarters, but we were unable to overcome the first quarter deficit.”
Jacqueze Robinson led Temple with 16 points. The Crusaders dropped to 2-2 with their second straight loss
Statsa
Jacqueze Robinson 16 points
Michael Taylor 9 points
Will Sexton 4 points
Justin Johnston 3 points
Andrew Johnson 3 points
Ezekeil Rudolph 3 points
Temple loses third straight
Temple’s 8th-grade team started the season off on a high note, winning its first two games. It’s been a different story this week, though, as the Crusaders have struggled.
Lookout Valley handed Temple its third straight defeat on Saturday, edging the Crusaders 39-38 at Vance Gym.
The game was close throughout. Temple led 9-6 at the end of the first quarter. Lookout Valley led 20-18 at halftime and 26-21 entering the decisive fourth quarter.
Michael Taylor (13 points) and Jacqueze Robinson (10 points) each scored in double figures for Temple (2-3).
Stats
Michael Taylor 13 points
Jacqueze Robinson 10 points
Andrew Johnson 5 points
Justin Johnston 4 points
Will Sexton 3 points
Ezekeil Rudolph 3 points
Losing streak continues
Temple defeated St. Jude earlier this season. St. Jude returned the favor on Monday, dealing the Crusaders a 34-29 loss.
It marked the fourth straight loss for Temple (2-4) after a 2-0 start.
The Crusaders once again got good performances from Jacqueze Robinson (13 points) and Michael Taylor (12 points) in a losing cause.
“The whole game it was neck and neck,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “It came down to free throws and they hit their’s and we didn’t. We were 1-for-5 which won’t get it done.”
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 13 points
Michael Taylor 12 points
Justin Johnston 2 points
Will Sexton 2 points
Temple snaps 4-game skid
With his team mired in a four-game losing skid, the last thing Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner wanted to see Tuesday was his team get off to a slow start.
That’s precisely what happened, though. The Crusaders missed their first 25 shots and were held scoreless in the first quarter before bouncing back for a 34-8 victory at OLPH.
The second quarter proved to be the difference as Temple outscored OLPH 18-2 after a scoreless first quarter for both teams.
The lopsided win ended Temple’s four-game losing streak. The Crusaders improved to 3-4 behind a balanced scoring effort led by Michael Taylor’s team-high nine points.
Leading scorer Jacqueze Robinson scored just five points after leaving the game early after sustaining a mild concusion when his head hit the floor while taking a charge.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Wiedenbenner said of his team’s ice-cold shooting and subsequent slow start. “We couldn’t hit anything. Fortunately, we were able to regroup, make some adjustments and playe better starting in the second quarter. We started playing together, and that’s what made the difference. It feels good to finally get a win after losing the last four. Hopefully, this win will give these kids some confidence as we go on with our season.
“We got a lot of good minutes from our bench players,” Wiedenbenner said. “They really stepped out when Jacqueze went out. I was also proud of our post players for stepping up their play after the first quarter.
Stats
Michael Taylor 9 points
Andrew Johnson 8 points
Will Sexton 6 points
Jacqueze Robinson 5 points
Andrew Ware 4 points
Ezekeil Rudolph 2 points
Late free throw dooms Temple
Silverdale hit a free throw in the waning seconds to escape with a 36-35 victory over hard-luck Temple on Monday.
The game was tight throughout with neither team able to build a sizeable lead. The Seahawks led 9-5 at the end of the first quarter, 20-14 at halftime and 24-23 at the end of the third quarter – setting up a frantic fourth quarter in which Silverdale prevailed with the late free throw.
“It was a really good game,” Temple coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “We had opportunities to win it, we just didn’t capitalize on those opportunities. And Silverdale did. I was hoping their guy was going to miss that free throw, but I had a feeling he was going to make it.”
Jacqueze Robinson led Temple with 17 points. Michael Taylor added seven points for the Crusaders (3-5) who have lost five of their last six.
“Silverdale had balanced scoring, and that was a big difference,” Wiedenbenner said. “We relied too much on one guy while they were able to get points from a lot of different players.”
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 17 points
Michael Taylor 7 points
Justin Johnston 4 points
Will Sexton 3 points
Andrew Johnson 2 points
Andrew Ware 2 points
Temple rolls
Temple recorded its second victory over OLPH in as many tries on Friday, rolling to a 38-17 victory at Vance Gym.
“We had good teamwork tonight,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “When we have balanced scoring the way we did tonight, we’re pretty good. And we played good defense, too, holding them to 17 points. That’s a pretty good combination.”
Temple improved to 4-5 with its second win in its last seven games.
The Crusaders led 10-4 at the end of the first quarter before seizing control with a 17-point second quarter.
Jacqueze Robinson and Michael Taylor scored nine points apiece to lead a balanced offensive attack. Justin Johnston contributed eight points for the Crusaders.
Seven of the eight players who dressed out for Temple scored.
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 9 points
Michael Taylor 9 points
Justin Johnston 8 points
Andrew Johnson 4 points
Ezekeil Rudolph 4 points
Will Sexton 2 points
Michael Reaves 2 points
Poor 3rd quarter costs Temple
Temple was in good position to win its second game in as many days on Saturday, trailing visiting David Brainerd by just two points at halftime.
That was before the Wildcats outscored the Crusaders 15-3 in the third quarter en route to a 42-29 victory at Vance Gym.
“We didn’t come out with the same intensity in the third quarter that we played with in the first half for whatever reason,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “I don’t know what the problem was. I wish I could figure it out.”
Temple (4-6) lost despite 22 points from Jacqueze Robinson.
“He put forth a valiant effort,” Wiedenbenner said.
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 22 points
Justin Johnston 3 points
Michael Taylor 2 points
Will Sexton 2 points
Temple suffers setback
Grace won every quarter but the second en route to a 60-34 victory over Temple on Tuesday at Vance Gym.
The Crusaders won the second quarter 15-13, but that’s after falling behind 22-9 in the third quarter. The Golden Eagles left no doubt after halftime, outscoring Temple 14-0 in the third quarter to build a sizeable lead.
“That’s the second game in a row where we came out flat in the third quarter,” said Temple coach Dave Wiedenbenner, whose team has been outscored 29-3 in the third quarter over the last two games. We’ve got to find a way to change that.”
Temple fell to 4-7 despite a combined 19 points from Jacqueze Robinson and Michael Taylor.
“Grace is good,” Wiedenbenner said. “It’s a tough matchup for us. A lot of other teams can say the same thing.”
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 11 points
Michael Taylor 8 points
Justin Johnston 3 points
Andrew Ware 2 points
Three up, three down
Lookout Valley cruised to a 44-27 victory over visiting Temple on Thursday, sending the Crusaders to their third consecutive loss.
Once again the third quarter didn’t prove too kind to the Crusaders. Neither did the fourth quarter for that matter. Leading 17-15 at halftime, Temple was outscored by Lookout Valley 14-4 in the third quarter and 15-6 in the fourth to suffer its third straight loss.
Jacqueze Robinson was the only player in double figures for Temple (4-8).
“We got off to a good start. . . I felt pretty good about our chances of winning,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “But we let it slip away in the second half.”
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 12 points
Andrew Johnson 6 points
Justin Johnston 6 points
Will Sexton 2 points
Ezekeil Rudolph 1 point
Temple loses 4th straight
It took a free throw in the waning seconds for Silverdale to slip past Temple earlier this season.
There were no such late game heroics necessary on Saturday.
Silverdale outscored Temple 26-16 in the second half to pull away for a 43-31 victory at Vance Gym.
Temple dropped to 4-9 with its fourth straight loss.
Jacqueze Robinson scored a team-high 10 points and Justin Johnston added eight for the Crusaders, whose third quarter woes continued.
“We played pretty good in the first half,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “I thought it was good half defensively. . .our defense kept us within striking distance. But we just fell apart in the second half. We didn’t get back in transition. We didn’t rebound. You’re not going to win many games if you don’t play defense and you don’t rebound.”
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 10 points
Justin Johnston 8 points
Andrew Johnson 6 points
Michael Taylor 4 points
Will Sexton 2 points
Michael Reaves 1 point
Second half lifts Temple
Temple has not been a second half team this season. Far from it, actually.
But the Crusaders flipped the script on Monday, putting together a solid second half after a so-so first half to pull away for a 29-22 victory at Boyd-Buchanan.
Playing without leading scorer Jacqueze Robinson, who was out sick with the flu, Temple outscored Boyd 16-5 in the second half to erase a 17-13 halftime deficit.
“Tonight was an overall team effort on offense and defense,” said Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner, whose team snapped a four-game losing streak to improve to 5-9. “We gave up only 22 points. . . we have given up that many in a half several times this season.
“We got solid contributions from a lot of different people, and that was important, especially with Jacqueze being out sick,” Wiedenbenner continued. “The entire team pulled together with team defense and unselfishness with the ball. Zeke, Andrew Ware, Will Sexton and Andrew Johnson all had their best offensive night of the year, and Michael Taylor had his best defensive night. J. J. and Michael Reaves also played very well."
Stats
Justin Johnston 8 points
Andrew Johnson 7 points
Will Sexton 7 points
Ezekeil Rudolph 3 points, 8 assists
Andrew Ware 2 points
Michael Taylor 2 points
Temple comes up short
Temple gave Spalding a much better game than it did earlier this season.
Still, the Crusaders didn’t have enough to post the upset.
Spalding outscored Temple 10-2 in the second quarter to build a cushion and never relinquished the lead en route to a 36-22 victory at Vance Gym.
Temple, again playing without leading scorer Jacqueze Robinson (flu), stayed even with Spalding for most of the night. However, the Crusaders fell victim to runs late in the second and third quarters that proved costly.
“We played together and did a good job of communicating on defense,” said Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner, whose team dropped to 5-10. “I’m very proud of everyone.”
Stats
Justin Johnston 6 points
Michael Taylor 6 points
Andrew Johnson 4 points
Will Sexton 2 points
Ezekeil Rudolph 2 points
Grace topples Temple
Temple was hoping to pull an upset in its regular-season finale at Grace on Thursday.
The Golden Eagles put an end to those plans early on, outscoring the Crusaders 16-2 in the first quarter on its way to a 47-28 victory.
Even the return of leading scorer Jacqueze Robinson (12 points) wasn’t enough to keep Temple (5-11) from falling to Grace for the second time this season.
“We got off to a slow start, but we held our own the rest of the way,” Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. “Our post players (Will, Michael and Andrew) really stepped up and played a good game overall.”
Ironically, Temple will face Grace in the opening round of the ISC tournament on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m., at St. Jude.
Stats
Jacqueze Robinson 12 points
Andrew Johnson 6 points
Michael Taylor 5 points
Justin Johnston 4 points
Will Sexton 1 point
Season ends
Grace defeated Temple 42-22 in the opening round of the ISC Tournament on Monday -putting an end to the Crusaders' season. “I am proud of each player, this year," Temple middle school coach Dave Wiedenbenner said. "I have seen a drastic improvement from the beginning of the season until now. In fact, the last six games I have had all the opposing coaches tell me that the kids have improved a lot. I look forward to continue working with this great bunch of kids in JV and Varsity over the next few years.”
Temple trailed 23-3 at the end of the first quarter and never did recover. The Crusaders finished 5-12. Jacqueze Robinson led Temple with seven points. Michael Taylor added six for the Crusaders.
"Grace's pressure defense combined with their speed and athleticism were too much for us," Wiedennbenner said. Stats Jacqueze Robinson 7Michael Taylor 6
Justin Johnston 4
Will Sexton 2 Ezekeil Rudolph 2
Andrew Johnson 2
|
%20andrew%20wareTTAbb17.jpg)
%20jacqueze%20robinsonTTAbb16.jpg)
