Temple rallied back from a 16-point deficit to make a strong bid late before falling to Harker Heights 57-50 in District 13-5A basketball action Friday night.
“The guys played hard and never gave up,” Temple coach Bruce Etheridge said. “The guys did a good job executing down the stretch. We are making strides.”
Harker Heights forward George Nelson used his 6-8 frame to dominate inside and score 18 points.
“He was too strong inside,” Etheridge added. “We finally slowed him down in the second half, but he’s an incredible athlete.”
D.J. Wright led Temple with 18 points, and Jeff Hodges added 10.
“Wright was a pleasant surprise with 18,” Etheridge said. “Our seniors stepped up in the final quarter.”
Entering that quarter the Wildcats trailed 42-26 but were only down five with a minute to play, but Harker Heights was solid at the line to preserve the win.
“We finish with a big game against Belton on Tuesday,” Etheridge said. “We want to go out with a win."
