But it was still a disappointment when Lon Morris put in the final shot at the buzzer to down the Lady Leopards 57-55 at TC Gym on Wednesday, because the Lady Leopards know they let this one get away.
“We came out flat in the first half and I thought that might happen,” Temple coach Kim Sebek said. “Our shots were short, we were missing easy shots and not getting second-chance opportunities. But we had our run in the second half and fought back in a game that could have easily gotten away from us.”
In fact, both teams had to overcome double-digit deficits. TC (5-5) was down by as many as 13 points in the first half and fought back with a 21-2 stretch early in the second to put Lon Morris (7-4) down 10. The Bearcats fought back from that margin with a 10-0 run and the teams entered the final 5 minutes tied at 52.
At that point, neither team’s defense was going to allow the other’s offense to break free.
Harker Heights product Shaquitta Martin gave Temple a 54-52 lead on a coast-to-coast fast break. Lon Morris answered on a jump shot by Chrystal Harrison, who was the only player for either school to score in double digits with 22.
“We knew when we played them down there that Breaunna Ellison had 24 points against us,” Sebek said. “To shut her down to just six was great, but Harrison picked up the slack. She got some good baskets on her own but she also got a lot of put-back shots because we didn’t block her out.”
After several defensive stops, the Lady Leopards retook the lead when Brittany Roberson found Julisa Mitchell under the basket for an easy layup. The Bearcats closed the gap again when Christy Willis drew a foul and made one of two free throws to cut it 56-55, a score that stood entering the final minute.
With 31.8 seconds to go, Emma Sutton drew a foul and also made one of two at the line to put TC up 57-55. Lon Morris again answered with a drive from Harrison to tie the game with 16.6 to play.
Temple then played for the final shot. As the Lady Leopards passed around the perimeter, Willis stole the ball and took off down the left side.
TC players raced back and had Willis defended as she crossed midcourt and neared the 3-point line, before Mitchell inexplicably fouled her with 5.4 seconds to play.
“That wasn’t anywhere in our game plan,” Sebek said of the foul. “With the intensity she fouled with I think she was thinking we were down and she had to foul.”
Fortunately for the Lady Leopards, Willis missed both attempts and Temple’s Jessica Sommers got the rebound. Temple used its final timeout with 2.7 seconds left to set up its final play.
The plan was to look for someone quick under the basket who could hopefully get near mid-court and toss one up, or go for a long pass and hopefully bring in the ball on the run for a layup.
The second option was used, but the pass was so long that no one was able to get a finger on it. The ball rolled out of bounds on the other end with 2.7 still on the clock.
“We were going to look for that if it was there,” Sebek said of the long pass. “We thought we might get a tip or touch or whatever, but it didn’t work out in our favor. It was taking a little gamble. But it just so happened it didn’t turn out in our favor.”
Lon Morris then got to inbound under its basket. The pass went to Harrison, who missed a rare short jumper, and Diamond Austin grabbed the rebound and put in the buzzer-beater for the win.
“A lot happened in that final minute that we can learn from.” Sebek said. “It was a hard-fought game and it was just unfortunate at the end with the foul, unfortunate with the no tip and unfortunate with the putback. But the girls fought back and there was a lot of positives we can take from the game.”
Kanesha Rich and Sutten led the Lady Leopards with nine points each. Sommers added eight.
The Lady Leopards will host Dallas Diesel at 2 p.m. Saturday in their final game of the calendar year. They will return to action Jan. 2 against San Jacinto in the McLennan Classic in Waco.
