Cleveland rolls

     Temple’s second-round matchup against host Cleveland High figured to be a mismatch.

      It was.

      Cleveland, one of if not the top girl’s team in Tennessee, raced past Temple 77-25 on Saturday in the second round of the Cleveland Thanksgiving Tournament.

     “We were just over-matched,” Temple coach Shameca Garnder said. “I don’t know what else you can say. They’re good, real good. We knew that coming in, though.”

     The Lady Raiders outscored the Lady Crusaders 22-2 in the first quarter and never looked back.

     Candace Dyer led Temple with 13 points, including a pair of second-half 3-pointers. Jennifer Sells contributed seven for the Lady Crusaders, 0-2.

Candace Dyer 13 points

Jennifer Sells 7 points

P.J. Sexton 3 points

Shay Moore 2 points

Temple suffers road loss

     Temple got another big night from Candace Dyer. But, this time it wasn’t enough as Christian Heritage cruised to a 69-53 victory over Temple on Friday night in Dalton.
     The Lady Crusaders got off to a slow start and never recovered in losing for the third time in their first four games.
     “I’m really disappointed in the way we played tonight,” Temple coach Shameca Gardner said. “I really thought we had a chance to come over here and win this game. Obviously that wasn’t the case. Instead of taking another step forward like we did by beating 21st Century, I thought we took a couple of steps back. We did a better job in the fourth quarter, but by then it was too late.
     “We’ve got to get back in the gym and work hard to get better. We’ve got to correct some things.”
     One of those things Gardner was alluding to is free throws. Her team was 12 of 28 at the charity stripe.
     Dyer scored a game-high 26 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. She has scored in double figures in all four games while averaging 23.5 points. Jennifer Sells chipped in with 12 points while Kellie Kellogg had a season-high 8.
     Christian Heritage led 20-8 at the end of the first quarter, 37-20 at halftime and 51-30 at the end of the third quarter. Temple scored 23 points in the fourth quarter – its largest scoring output in any quarter this year – but it wasn’t nearly enough to put a significant dent in Christian Heritage’s lead.

Stats
Candace Dyer 26 points
Jennifer Sells 12 points
Kellie Kellogg 8 points
Janette Elliott 5 points
Brooke Johnson 2 points

Run lifts Temple
     Temple and Lookout Valley were deadlocked in a 25-25 tie in the third quarter on Tuesday night. That's when the Lady Crusaders decided to take command.
     Temple got a 3-pointer from P.J. Sexton and back-to-back steals to fuel a decisive 14-0 run then held on down the stretch to post a 52-47 victory at Vance Gym.

     "That stretch in the third quarter was huge," Temple coach Shemeca Gardner said. "We're in a tie game, and then I look up and we're up 14. We played really well in the third quarter. I wish we could've finished the game off a little better, but I'm pleased that we were able to get the win."

     Temple (2-3) has won two of its past three games since an 0-2 start.

     Candace Dyer continued her torrid start, pumping in a career-high 33 points. As impressive as Dyer was, Gardner was just as impressed with Sexton, who added 13 points and played a good all-around floor game.

     "It seems like every night Candace gets a career-high," Gardner said. "She played great again. I thought P.J. played a great game, too. She was the difference."

     Dyer and Sexton combined for all of Temple's 19 points in the third quarter when the Lasy Crusaders out-scored Lookout Valley 19-4 to race to a 39-25 lead. Lookout Valley outscored Temple 22-13 in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Crusaders were able to hold on despite 26 points from Lookout Valley's April McCann.

     "I told my team she was about to take over the game and they didn't believe me," Gardner said. "Fortunately, we were able to make enough plays and enough free throws down the stretch to seal the deal."

Stats

Candace Dyer 33 points

P.J. Sexton 12 points

Shay Moore 5 points

Sara Broome 2 points

Temple struggles

     Temple played toe-to-toe with Ooltewah for the first eight minutes Thursday night. The Lady Owls seized control after that, however, outscoring the Lady Crusaders 40-29 the rest of the way en route to a 52-39 victory at Vance Gym.

     “After the first quarter it all went downhill,” Temple coach Shameca Gardner said. “I got real frustrated because I felt like some of our girls didn’t care. Some of them went on Christmas break early.”

     Candace Dyer led Temple with 22 points. No other player scored in double figures for the Lady Crusaders, who lost their third straight to drop to 2-6.

Stats

Candace Dyer 22 points

Janette Elliott 8 points

Kellie Kellogg 4 points

Jennifer Sells 2 points

P.J. Sexton 2 points

Sara Broome 1 point

 Sexton helps lift Temple

     Temple found itself trailing at halftime at Silverdale Friday night, leading scorer Candace Dyer was saddled with foul trouble, and a fourth straight loss was staring the Lady Crusaders square in the face.

     Not. In stepped P.J. Sexton, who drained two key 3-pointers to ignite a second half surge that powered Temple to a 54-42 road victory.

     The Lady Crusaders scored 37 second half points after scoring just 17 in the first half to pull away for the 12-point district win. Sexton, who finished with 15 points, had plenty of help. Dyer scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half and Janette Elliott added 11.

     “That’s one of the best games we’ve played,” Temple coach Shameca Gardner said. “Even with Candace in foul trouble, we never gave up. We kept coming back. And P.J. led the way. Those 3’s she hit were real big.”

     Temple snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 3-6 overall and more importantly 2-1 in the district.

     “Winning a district game on the road, that’s big for this team,” Gardner said. “Hopefully winning this game, especially the way we did, will give us a confidence boost.”

Stats

P.J. Sexton 15 points

Candace Dyer 15 points

Janette Elliott 11 points

Sara Broome 6 points

Kellie Kellogg 5 points

Shay Moore 2 points

Temple goes 2-1 in tourney

     While most of Temple’s students were at home or on the road visiting family enjoying the Christmas Break, the Lady Crusaders were busy playing in the David Brainerd tournament.

     The results? Temple went 2-1 with wins over Cleveland Christian and Sale Creek and a loss to Hamilton Heights.

     “Overall, I was real pleased,” Temple coach Shameca Gardner said. “We would’ve liked to have won all three games, but taking two out of three is pretty good.”

     Temple opened the three-day tournament with a 58-50 loss to Hamilton Heights. “We couldn’t hit anything that game,” Gardner said. The Lady Crusaders followed with a lopsided 72-30 victory over Cleveland Christian in which “we got to play a lot of people and worked on a lot of different things which was good,” Gardner said.

     Temple had to work a lot harder for its second win. In fact, it took a short jumper in the lane by Janette Elliott as time expired to lift the Lady Crusaders to a 49-48 over Sale Creek. After Sale Creek missed a free throw in the waning seconds, Temple pushed the ball up the floor and got the ball into the hands of Elliott, who drained the game-winner.

     “She just threw it up,” Gardner said with a smile. “That was a good win for us.”

     Temple improved to 5-7 entering Tuesday night’s game at GPS.

     “I thought we were balanced for the whole tournament,” Gardner said. “Our top three leaders (Candace Dyer and P.J. Sexton) stepped up. But I thought Janette really stepped up. If it wasn’t for her, we would’ve lost. She was consistent all three games (in tournament).”

Stats

Temple vs. Hamilton Heights    Temple vs. Cleveland Christian   Temple vs. Sale Creek

Janette Elliott 18 points              Kellie Kellogg 20 points             Candace Dyer 15 points

Candace Dyer 13 points            Candace Dyer 12 points             Janette Elliott 14 points

P.J. Sexton 9 points                   Brooke Johnson 8 points            P.J. Sexton 12 points

Brooke Johnson 8 points           Jennifer Sells 8 points                  Kellie Kellogg 6 points

Sara Broome 2 points                Janette Elliott 7 points                 Brooke Johnson 2 points

                                                 P.J. Sexton 6 points

                                                 Jessica Elliott 4 points

                                                 Shay Moore 4 points

                                                 Sara Broome 2 points

GPS edges Temple

     Temple coach Shameca Gardner wasn’t happy about Tuesday’s 62-57 loss at GPS.

     “You’re never happy with a loss,” she said.

     But Gardner couldn’t help but feel pretty good about her team following the five-point setback. Consider: When the two teams played earlier this season in a Hall of Fame game, GPS cruised to a 51-22 victory. The Lady Crusaders were held scoreless in the first quarter of that game and had just three points at halftime.

     Temple (5-9) had won three of its previous four games.

     “My girls played really good,” Gardner said. “The last time we played GPS, they blew us out. We only scored 3 points in the first half. So, obviously we played a lot better tonight than we did that night. Overall, I’m real proud of my team. I’m hoping that momentum can carry over into Friday night (at Grace).

     “It was back and forth at the end,” Gardner said. “We cut it to four points, then we cut it to two points. But we made a couple of critical turnovers, and then we had to foul and they made their free throws.”

     Candace Dyer pumped in 33 points and Janette Elliott contributed 14.

Stats

Candace Dyer 33 points

Janette Elliott 14 points

Shay Moore 4 points

Kellie Kellogg 3 points

Sara Broome 3 points

     Temple coach Shameca Gardner was hoping the positive vibes from Tuesday’s hard-fought loss to GPS would carry over into Friday night’s key district game at rival Grace.

     Unfortunately, they didn’t.

     Grace scored early and often en route to a lopsided 70-32 victory.

     “I really thought we would come out and be ready to play,” Gardner said. “Obviously, I was wrong. We showed how much improvement we’ve made in the GPS game. But, tonight I thought we took a couple of steps backwards. We just didn’t come out and play the way we’re capable of playing. I’m very disappointed.”

     Grace led 25-8 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, handing Temple (5-8 overall, 2-2 in District 5-A) its second straight loss. Janette Elliott (10 points) was the only Lady Crusader in double figures.

Stats

Janette Elliott 10 points

Candace Dyer 9 points

Sara Broome 6 points

Jennifer Sells 3 points

Kellie Kellogg 2 points

Shay Moore 2 points

Dyer, Sexton lead rally

     Temple appeared well on its way to a third straight loss on Tuesday night, trailing visiting South Pittsburg by double digits in the second half.

     But Candace Dyer, P.J. Sexton and the rest of the Lady Crusaders refused to fold and staged an impressive rally to post a thrilling 54-50 come-from-behind overtime victory at Vance Gym.

     Dyer, a junior guard and the team’s leading scorer, pumped in a game-high 25 points, 19 of those coming in the second half and overtime. It was her steal and old-fashioned 3-point play in the waning minutes that tied the game and sparked Temple’s comeback.

    Sexton, meanwhile, had a career-high 19 points to go along with 15 rebounds. She scored 11 of her 19 points in the first half to keep Temple close. Elliott came up big late, too, scoring four of her 10 points in the second quarter.

    “That was a big, big win for our basketball team, especially the way we were able to win it,” Temple coach Shameca Gardner said. “My girls just never gave up. Even when they were down (by double digits), they believed they could come back and win it. We had a lot of people step up and make plays for us. P.J. played great. Candace struggled in the first half but came back strong in the second half. Janette played well. And we had some other girls that really helped is out, too, even though they didn’t score. It was a team effort. I’m so proud of them.”

    Both teams struggled mightily at the free throw line. Temple made just 13 out of 24 while South Pittsburg made just 17 of 36. Dyer, however, was 11 of 14 from the charity stripe, including several big makes in the fourth quarter and overtime.

    “We wouldn’t have had to struggle the way we did if we had made our free throws,” Gardner said. “Of course, South Pitt can look at it and say the same thing.”

Stats

Candace Dyer 25 points

P.J. Sexton 19 points, 15 rebounds

Janette Elliott 10 points

Too little, too late

    COPPER BASIN – Temple coach Shameca Gardner liked the way her team played in the fourth quarter Thursday night.

    Unfortunately, by then it was too late.

    Temple trailed 21-4 at the end of the first quarter and never could recover, losing 50-31.

    “We played pretty good in the fourth quarter. . . that’s the way I would like to see us play all of the time,” said Gardner, whose team was coming off a 54-50 overtime victory over South Pittsburg on Tuesday night. “We need to play like that every quarter.

    “I wish we had heart,” Gardner continued. “I really do. Everybody has got to want to play, and I don’t know that that’s the case right now. If they all don’t want to play, then we’ll lose. Just like we did tonight.”

    Candace Dyer scored a game-high 19 points, 14 coming in the second half, to lead Temple. The Lady Crusaders have lost three of their last four games to slide to 6-10 overall and 2-3 in District 5-A entering tonight’s game at region foe Lookout Valley.

     Temple defeated Lookout Valley 52-47 in early December.

     “That was a close game,” Gardner said. “We’re going to have to play if we expect to go to their place and get a W.”

Stats

Candace Dyer 19 points

P.J. Sexton 8 points

Shay Moore 2 points

Temple falls

    No matter Temple did Friday night, it couldn’t slow down Lookout Valley’s April McCann.

    McCann poured in a game-high 35 points – nearly outscoring the Lady Crusaders by herself – as Lookout Valley defeated visiting Temple 49-37.

    “She’s good,” Temple coach Shameca Gardner said. “That’s no secret. We knew that. We just couldn’t do anything with her.”

    Janette Elliott led Temple with 11 points. She was the only Lady Crusader in double figures.

    Lookout Valley gave itself some breathing room going into the fourth quarter, extending a three-point halftime lead to eight at the end of the third quarter. McCann scored 19 of her 35 in the fourth to help Lookout Valley seal the deal.

    Gardner seemed more frustrated at her own team’s play moreso than her team’s inability to contain McCann. She didn’t play her starters for most of the first quarter after getting upset with them over how they played in a loss at Copper Basin the previous night, and she wasn’t much happier following Friday’s game.

    “We just didn’t show up,” Gardner said. “We weren’t there.”

Stats

Janette Elliott 11

Kellie Kellogg 8

Candace Dyer 8

Sara Broome 5

Shay Moore 3

P.J. Sexton 2

    With the game tied at 37-37, Temple had possession of the ball and was holding for the last shot only to have Silverdale steal the ball near midcourt. Silverdale was fouled as it went in for a layup and made one of two free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining to steal the victory.

    Candace Dyer (12 points) and Kellie Kellogg (10) each scored in double figures for Temple, which dropped to 6-12 overall and 2-4 in District 5-A. Temple coach Shameca Gardner, whose team won at Silverdale earlier this season, was disappointed in the loss – especially the ending. Still, she was in a much better mood following Tuesday’s game than she was after losses at Copper Basin and Lookout Valley a week ago.

    “It was a good game,” Gardner said. “After not playing well last week against Copper Basin and Lookout Valley, the girls actually came out strong and played a pretty good game. We had the lead at halftime (21-13), but the little mistakes we made in the second half ended up costing us at the end of the game. But, overall, I was pleased with the way we played.”

Stats

Candace Dyer 12 points

Kellie Kellogg 10 points

P.J. Sexton 8 points

Janette Elliott 5 points

Sara Broome 2 points

Temple drops 4^th straight

    Although Temple’s losing streak reached four games on Friday night following a 66-46 home loss to Pickett County, Temple coach Shameca Gardner seemed OK with where here team is heading into the final weeks of the regular season.

    “I think we’re getting better, now at least,” Gardner said. “I know we’ve lost a few in a row now, but we’ve played much better the past couple of games than we did in the two games before that. Pickett County has a good team. We actually cut (lead) to four points right before halftime. . . we shouldn’t be within four points of that team. We were playing pretty good. . . they were just hitting shots. There’s nothing you can do about that.

    “Right now, I’m focusing on us getting better. I would like to get back to .500 in district play and then be ready to go come tournament time.”

    Temple was led by P.J. Sexton’s 16 points. Candace Dyer added 12 points and Janette Elliott 10 for the Lady Crusaders, who dropped to 6-13 with their sixth loss in their last seven games.

    Lindsey Wright led Pickett County with a game-high 24 points followed by Brittany Garrett with 18.

Stats

P.J. Sexton 16 points

Candace Dyer 12 points

Janette Elliott 10 points

Kellie Kellogg 4 points

Sara Broome 4 points

Dyer, Sexton lead way

    Temple coach Shameca Gardner has been working extremely hard to get her team into top form heading into the stretch drive of the season.

    If Tuesday night’s game at 21^st Century is any indication, all that hard work is beginning to pay off.

    The Lady Crusaders played one of their most inspired games of the season – hustling and diving on the floor for loose balls and rebounding on defense and playing team basketball on offense – to escape with a 49-43 victory.

    “It wasn’t pretty, really it was ugly, but we played hard,” Gardner said. “

    Candace Dyer led Temple with 18 points, including three 3-pointers in the second quarter when the Lady Crusaders built a 30-19 lead. P.J. Sexton added 10 points and Sara Broome and Janette Elliott combined for 16 points.

    Temple, winners of two of its last three games, improved to 8-14 overall and 4-4 in District 5-A.

    “It was a good win. . .any win is a good win,” Gardner said. “One of our goals was to get our district record back to .500 and that win helped us do that. We’re really focusing on getting better and being right by district tournament time.”

    21^st Century made several runs after Temple built a double-digit lead. But Gardner’s team came up with the key plays and clutch baskets down the stretch to seal the deal.

    “Even when we got up, I wasn’t real comfortable,” Gardner said. “I figured they would make a run, and they did.  Fortunately, we were able to hold on. Hopefully we can carry some of the momentum from this game into Friday’s game against Grace.”

Stats

Candace Dyer 18 points

P.J. Sexton 10 points

Sara Broome 8 points

Janette Elliott 8 points

Kellie Kellogg 4 points

Jennifer Sells 1 point

Temple falls

    Grace cruised past Temple 54-28 on Friday at Vance Gym, registering its second lopsided win over the Lady Crusaders this season.

    “We didn’t show up,” Temple coach Shameka Gardner said. “We played well in the first quarter, but after that it was all downhill. Obviously, it wasn't the performance I was looking for out of my team."

    Sara Broome led Temple with 8 points. Candace Dyer, the team’s leading scorer at 18 points per game, was limited to just seven points, her second-lowest output of the season. It marked just the fifth time this season she has failed to reach double digits.

    Temple led 10-8 at the end of the first quarter. However, that lead was short-lived as Grace outscored the Lady Crusaders 24-12 in the second quarter and never looked back.

    Temple, coming off a 49-43 victory at 21^st Century on Tuesday, dropped to 8-15 overall and 4-5 in District 5-A.

    “Grace has a good team,” Gardner said. “We already knew that, though.”

    Temple concludes its regular season on Tuesday night at David Brainerd. After that, it’s time for the district and region tournaments.

    “That’s what our focus is on right now,” Gardner said. “Hopefully, we can be playing our best basketball come tournament time.”

Stats

Sara Broome 8 points

Candace Dyer 7 points

Janette Elliott 6 points

Kellie Kellogg 4 points

P.J. Sexton 2 points

Shay Moore 1 point

Temple stuns Copper Basin

    Copper Basin cruised to a pair of easy victories over Tennessee Temple during the regular season, winning 54-32 and 50-31.

    That was then. This is now.

    Temple put aside those two defeats, embraced the underdog role, and put together arguably its best performance of the season. It all added up to a memorable 48-42 overtime upset victory on Saturday in the semifinals of the District 5-A tournament at McGilvary Gym.

    The Lady Crusaders outscored the Lady Cougars 11-5 in the overtime period after the score was tied 37-37 at the end of regulation.

    “They told me they were not going to let them beat us three times in a row,” Temple coach Shameca Gardner said. “All season long, everybody thought we weren’t going to do anything. They wanted to prove everyone wrong.”

    They did, thanks in large part to an inspired defensive effort throughout the game. Copper Basin shot just 28.3 percent from the field and turned the ball over 18 times. That defensive effort was spearheaded by guard Kellie Kellogg.

    “Kellie played a great game; she played tremendous defense,” Gardner said. “And our team fed off of that. That was probably the best defense we’ve played all season.

   “We grew up tonight,” Gardner continued. “We played so hard from the opening tip to the end. . . no let up at all. Usually we have some turnovers or little mistakes that cost us the game. That didn’t happen tonight.”

    Candace Dyer led Temple with 18 points, eight rebounds, four steals, two assists and one steal. Even those numbers don’t tell the whole story, though.

    Dyer, the team’s leading scorer, was seriously injured with two minutes, 12 seconds remaining and the score tied at 37-37. Dyer, in traffic, was elbowed as she went to the floor, causing a huge lump to form under her left eye. The injury forced her to leave the game, leaving the game in the hands of her teammates.

    “When Candace went out, the girls really wanted to win it for her,” Gardner said.

    They did, although they got considerable help from Dyer, who was able to re-enter the game at the 2:48 mark of overtime, after putting a bandage over the open wound.

    Copper Basin elected to run all the time off the clock in hopes of getting the last shot. That strategy backfired, though, as it didn’t get off a final shot.

    “I don’t understand why she did that,” Gardner said. “My best player was out. . .if it was me I wouldn’t have done that. I would have attacked.”

    Copper Basin scored the first three points of the overtime to go up 40-37 only to see Tennessee Temple answer with a free throw and a 3-pointer from P.J. Sexton to forge ahead 41-40 with 3:10 left. The Lady Cougars regained the lead 42-41 with three minutes left before Dyer came back in Willis Reed-type fashion and helped her team finish off the upset.

    In the last 31.6 seconds alone, Dyer made two free throws, had a steal and a layup to ssecure the win.

    ‘That 3-pointer from P.J. really sparked us,” Gardner said. “And then Candace coming back was a big lift, too. I really didn’t want to put her back in, I was scared to. But she looked me in the eye and said she wanted back in the game, so I put her back in. I’m glad I did.”

    Temple improved to 11-15 overall and more importantly moved into Tuesday night’s district championship game against top-seeded Grace.

Stats

Candace Dyer 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assist, 1 block

Janette Elliott 11 points, 2 steals, 2 assists, 1 rebound

Kellie Kellogg 10 points, 7 rebounds

P.J. Sexton 9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals

    The clock struck midnight on Tennessee Temple’s Cinderalla run through the District 5-A basketball tournament on Tuesday night.

    After beating David Braining and upsetting No. 2 seed Copper Basin to surprisingly reach the championship game, Temple fell to top-seeded Grace 52-37 at McGilvary Gym.

   The Lady Crusaders led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter and 22-21 at halftime before the Lady Golden Eagles began to pull away late in the third quarter.

    “We played great in the first half. . . we had the tempo the way we liked it and everything,” Temple coach Shameca Gardner said. “Then we came out in the second half and fell apart. They stopped listening to us and started playing selfish basketball. We got away from what we had been talking about, and what we had been doing.

    “In the third quarter, it was like they adjusted to what we were doing, and we didn’t adjust to what they were doing. We just stayed the same.”

    Temple (11-16) advances to the Region tournament and will host CSAS in the opening round on Friday night at Vance Gym.

    “The girls were sad because we lost. . . they wanted to win the (district) championship,” Gardner said. “But at the same time, we still have games to play.

    “I’m excited about where we are, and the girls are, too,” Gardner continued. “We’re playing so much better now than we were earlier this season. We’ve still got some momentum going into Friday’s game.”

    Grace (21-8) defeated Temple by a combined 64 points in two regular-season meetings. The Lady Crusaders made it a much closer game this time around, at least until late in the third quarter when the Lady Golden Eagles went on a 7-0 run to begin pulling away.

    Grace outscored Temple 12-4 in the third quarter and 19-11 in the fourth to secure the district title.

    Candace Dyer, P. J. Sexton and Janette Elliott each scored nine points to pace Temple. Sara Broome contributed eight.

    Dyer and Sexton were each named to the All-Tournament team.

Stats

Candace Dyer 9 points

P.J. Sexton 9 points, 9 rebounds

Janette Elliott 9 points

Sara Broome 8 points, 9 rebounds

Kellie Kellogg 2 points, 4 steals, 4 assists

Season over

    Tennessee Temple’s season came to an end on Friday night as CSAS claimed a 65-40 victory in the opening round of the Region 3-A tournament at McGilvary Gym.

    The Lady Crusaders put an end to CSAS’ season the past two years, but this year it will be the Lady Patriots moving on.

    “Obviously, we hated to lose and have our season come to an end,” Temple first-year coach Shameca Gardner, whose team finished 11-17. “We would’ve liked to keep on playing. But it wasn’t meant to be. Give CSAS credit. They came out tonight determined to win and they did.”

    Candace Dyer led Temple with 15 points. She was the only Lady Crusader in double figures.

    CSAS led by 10 points at halftime and quickly built a 15-point advantage in the third quarter. Temple twice cut the deficit to seven points in the third quarter, but CSAS answered each time. The Lady Patriots went on an 8-0 run midway through the quarter that helped put the game away.

    “Everytime we would make a move, they would answer,” Gardner said. “We never could get over the hump.”

    Heavy losses due to graduation meant a transition year for Temple. The Lady Crusaders finished with 11 wins – highlighted by an upset victory over No. 2 seed Copper Basin in the second round of the District 5-A tournament – in Gardner’s first season.

    “As a coach, you always want better,” Gardner said. “I feel like we probably lost some games we should have won, but at the same time we had some good wins, too. Overall, I’m fairly pleased all things considered. If you look at it, this year will only help us next year. A lot of girls who hadn’t got to play that much got a lot of playing time this year. That will help next year. They have been through the wars now. I know what to expect from them, too, and they know what to expect from me. I look at this year as a building year for next year.”

    Temple will return all five starters, including leading scorer Candace Dyer, as well as most of its top reserves.

    “Next year should be our year,” Gardner said. “I’ll have mostly seniors.”

Stats

Candace Dyer 15 points

P.J. Sexton 8 points

Kellie Kellogg 6 points

Sara Broome 6 points

Janette Elliott 5 points