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The Elgin Wildcats boys' varsity basketball team suffered a 47-31 loss to the Temple Wildcats Nov. 22, struggling to find their rhythm offensively as their shooting woes continued early in the season.
Elgin struggled to get on the board early, as Temple quickly built a 5-0 lead with five minutes left in the first quarter. The Wildcats’ first points came from a layup by forward Jose Arriaga, cutting the deficit to 5-2. Both teams then traded three-pointers, with Elgin’s senior guard Amar Bermudez sinking one to make it 8-5. However, Elgin managed just two more points the rest of the quarter, and Temple built a 19-7 lead by the end of the period.
The second quarter proved to be more of the same, with both teams combining for just seven points. Elgin missed several open layups on fast-break opportunities, and Temple took a 23-10 lead into halftime. Elgin cut the lead to 29-20 in the third, powered by a three-pointer and a layup from Arriaga, but Temple responded with an 18-11 run to close out the game.
Arriaga led Elgin with 9 points, while Bermudez added 8.
The Wildcats are hopeful their offensive struggles will improve as more players return to the roster with the football season coming to a close, coaching staff said.
