Mareta Bailey scored 22 points and Brittany Roberson put in 12 as the Lady Leopards dominated the second half to cruise to a 63-54 win over Angelina at TC Gym.
“It was a great game,” Temple coach Kim Sebek said. “We fought our way back into the game midway through the second. I was very proud of the girls.”
The Lady Leopards (4-3) were able to stretch out the lead and seal the win late when the Lady Roadrunners were forced to foul. Temple, which had been plagued with sub-par free-throw shooting in its first five games, was solid down the stretch.
“We still aren’t where we need to be,” Sebek said of the free throws. “But I think the girls are finally starting to understand the importance of hitting the free throws.”
Jessica Sommers hit four and Mitchell added two in the final three minutes to help seal the win.
“In the first half, our offensive execution was horrible,” Sebek added. “But in the second half, we started to hit some baskets and were able to mix up our defenses between two different zones to throw them off. The difference between the halves was like night and day. It’s the most focused I’ve seen the girls play.”
The Lady Leopards will host Panola at 2 p.m. Saturday.
