Ever since the Temple College men’s basketball team lost 103-88 at Weatherford in its Jan. 9 conference opener, the Leopards have been fighting an uphill battle in their quest to win a third Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference championship in four years.

Now, however, they’re finally back on level footing.

Temple has won eight of its last nine league games and Weatherford (20-5) has lost two of three, including one at TC, putting the Leopards (24-2) and the Coyotes in a dead heat for first place at 8-2 with four regular-season games remaining for each team.

Coach Kirby Johnson and the Leopards know the ball is in their court as they get ready to play rival McLennan (19-7, 6-4 NTJCAC) – which defeated them 101-96 in overtime on Jan. 21 in Waco – at 7:30 p.m. today at TC Gym.

“That was good for us,” Johnson said about Weatherford’s 73-71 overtime loss at Collin County on Saturday. “We control our own ability to win the conference championship now.

“Nothing is guaranteed, but the good thing is that even if we’re not the first seed (for next month’s NJCAA Region V Tournament in Belton) we can still be conference champions.”

Meanwhile, the Temple women (14-11, 8-4) are tied with Collin County for third place in the NTJCAC entering today’s 5:30 p.m. duel with conference leader McLennan (19-6, 11-0) at TC Gym.

Coach Kim Sebek’s Lady Leopards, winners of their last three league games, will seek to avenge their 71-65 road loss to the Highlassies four weeks ago.

Although the TC men will secure at least a share of the conference crown if they win out, Johnson points out that the Leopards must beat three regional-caliber teams – McLennan and Collin at home and Grayson County on the road – to accomplish that.

“With all the freshmen we have, they’ve been told, ‘We’re not going to lose at home,’” said Johnson, whose team is 12-0 at TC Gym. “We have two really good teams coming in here, and those won’t be easy. Three of our next four are against playoff contenders, so it’s going to be a tough week and a half.”

Temple avenged its loss at Weatherford with a 101-96 home win Feb. 6. If both teams win out, it will be up to third-place teams Collin and McLennan and possibly fifth-place Grayson to determine the NTJCAC’s top two seeds for the March 6-9 Region V Tournament at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Mayborn Campus Center.

If TC and Weatherford win out to tie for the title, the Leopards would need for Collin to capture the No. 3 seed in order to seize the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive year (Temple and McLennan were co-champions last season). If McLennan grabs the third spot, the Coyotes would be the top seed by virtue of their sweep of the Highlanders.

For Temple to prevail tonight, Johnson said the Leopards must shoot free throws better than they did in Waco and also limit McLennan’s trips to the foul line and open shots from 3-point range. The Highlanders were 21-for-24 on free throws and 10-of-20 on 3-pointers in the first meeting.

Considering the importance of tonight’s game for Temple, Johnson added that a strong home crowd could give his team a needed edge.

“People ask me, ‘When do you play McLennan at home?’” Well, the answer is, ‘Tomorrow,’” Johnson said Sunday. “If you’ve been planning to come to a game, there’s no excuse not to come to this one.”

NOTES: Temple, averaging 109 points per game, will clinch a berth in the regional tournament if it wins tonight and Grayson loses at home to Collin. . . . Any Ralph Wilson Youth Clubs basketball player wearing his or her jersey will receive free admission tonight. Tickets for parents of those players will cost $1.

gwille@temple-telegram.com