Balanced Temple Christian squeezes out NWCC win

WAYNESFIELD - For the Temple Christian boys basketball team, it's all about balance this season. In Friday's 52-48 win over Waynesfield, the Pioneers had eight players break into the scoring column.

Shane Holloway led Temple Christian (2-1, 1-0 Northwest Central Conference) with 11 points. Tyler Sutton scored 10 points, had five assists, five rebounds and made three steals.

Jake Spencer and Taylor Miller each scored 10 points for Waynesfield (0-2, 0-1 NWCC). Spencer also made three steals at the defensive end.

Temple Christian led by as many as 14 points in the second half. However, Waynesfield cut the deficit to 50-48, with 22 seconds left in regulation.

The Pioneers made 2-of-4 free throws in the final seconds of the game to slip out with the victory. They made just 2-of-11 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. For the game, the Pioneers made 13-of-29 (45 percent) from the line.

Temple Christian coach Bruce Bowman said his team did just enough to get out with the hard-fought road win.

"Obviously, we have to do a better job of protecting the lead," he said. "But, I'm proud of how the guys battled and made the plays at the end.

"A conference road win is always big. Give Waynesfield credit ... they did not give up."

Early on, the two teams traded leads. In the first quarter, the lead switched hands four times, with Temple coming out with a 16-10 advantage at the end.

In the second quarter, the Tigers made an early run. A 3-pointer by Jerry Weeks (seven points, two 3-points) and a couple free throws moments later, cut the deficit to 18-16.

Then, with less than four minutes left to play in the first half, a stick-back by Christian Lament on a missed free throw by Miller knotted the game at 20.

However, the Pioneers answered with 12-0 run to close out the half, pushing out to a 32-20 halftime lead.

Bowman said the experience of his guards shone through at the critical junctures of the game. He also pointed to his team's inside play as one of the keys to Friday's win.

"Obviously, we have a lot of experience at our guards," Bowman said. "But, our big guys will contribute as well.

"I thought Josh Kroehler - even though he isn't that big (6-foot-2) - did a nice job for us (nine points, six rebounds). He shoots well, he rebounds well and he plays good defense. His opportunity came tonight and he really took advantage of it."

Waynesfield first-year coach Romie Youngpeter said his team showed some improvement since its opening loss to New Knoxville.

"I think from the first game, we definitely showed some improvement," Youngpeter said. "We just have to learn to do all of the little things.

"But, give Temple credit. They did all of the little things. We just have to learn to finish. But we'll get there."