Game Recap: Katy Taylor HS vs Memorial HS

Tuesday night gave us a non-district rivalry match up between two teams that have been flying a bit under the radar, but playing relatively well nonetheless. The Katy Taylor Mustangs and their "Mustang Mobb" played host for the game and entered the night undefeated, riding their propensity to assault their opponents with their play beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Memorial, also the Mustangs, comes in to the night with only one loss and leaning on the guards’ abilities to play hard nosed defense and attack offensively with more of a balanced approach. And their "Swearing Sailors" will definitely let you know about it. The grittiness of Memorial plays right into the hands of senior Anthony Pelzer, for Katy Taylor, who thrives off of that style of play. But will the fortitude of the Memorial team be too much for Pelzer and the Katy Taylor Mustangs to overcome? Let’s dive into the game.   [embed]https://youtu.be/TIx7dEws3Uk[/embed] FIRST QUARTER The three point ability of Katy Taylor was on full display as the game started. They overwhelmed Memorial with the long ball going 5 for 8 from the arc and opened up a sizable lead. Since this game was filled with emotions, the referees called the game pretty tight to start things off and this hampered Memorial’s ability to put points on the board. Memorial had three charges called on them in the period and this, in combination with some other turnovers, made it difficult for them to find a rhythm and get things going offensively. Meanwhile, Houston Baptist commit, [player_tooltip player_id="887061" first="Jake" last="Arnold"] looked to take over the game, outscoring the Memorial team by himself. Arnold tallied 11 points in the period. SCORE AT THE END OF THE PERIOD Memorial - 6 Katy Taylor - 19 SECOND QUARTER Things were a lot better for Memorial in the second quarter, thanks in large part to [player_tooltip player_id="887068" first="Gaston" last="Elie"] (10 points in the quarter) who was able to get good looks and easy shots. Normally, when a team is struggling offensively, seeing the ball going through the net does a lot to boost their confidence and rhythm. Being able to get to the free throw line, in addition to Elie’s easy shots, did just that for Memorial. They began chipping at the Katy Taylor lead until a [player_tooltip player_id="887061" first="Jake" last="Arnold"] steal led to an Anthony Pelzer fast break dunk, and swung the momentum back to Katy Taylor. Luke St. Julien, then, kept things going for Katy Taylor and their three point assault, knocking down multiple threes in quick fashion. Memorial kept pace with Katy Taylor, however, still found themselves down double digits at the half. SCORE AT THE END OF THE PERIOD Memorial - 21 Katy Taylor - 35 THIRD QUARTER The third period opened up with a quick 8 - 0 run for Memorial, thanks to a couple of three pointers by Carson Ultis. Consequently, the Katy Taylor’s lead was cut to six, only two minutes within the quarter forcing a quick Katy Taylor timeout. Out of the timeout, Caleb Hart hit a corner three and things seemed to be back on track for Katy Taylor. But that was short lived as Memorial continued to get good shots and Katy Taylor began to go cold from the arc. Katy Taylor only scored five points in the period and this opened the door for Memorial to get back into the game, down single digits headed to the forth. SCORE AT THE END OF THE PERIOD Memorial - 35 Katy Taylor - 40 FORTH QUARTER Memorial’s methodical approach appeared to be working, so they did not deviate from their offensive plans. They remained patient, executed the offense, made clean cuts, crisp passes and ran their plays through until they had wide open looks. Katy Taylor, however, was able to somehow keep them from taking the lead. They began to play a bit slower on offense, icing the game by having [player_tooltip player_id="887061" first="Jake" last="Arnold"] hold the ball way out by the volleyball line and forcing Memorial to come out and play defense on him. Arnold was able to use his dribble and craftiness to generate some offense for Katy Taylor which helped them maintain their lead. But Memorial got a late game surge from <a class="Anchor__StyledAnchor-sc-1fyvlgd-0 gGoESU" href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/michael-branca/_8mhAi5VEeqAzqREozo6lw/default.htm">Michael Branca</a>, who had a layup and a three pointer on consecutive possessions which resulted in Memorial finally taking the lead late. Katy Taylor was down by three with 20 seconds left in the game and was able to get three clean looks at a three pointer. Unfortunately, for Katy Taylor, all they were able to come a way with was a late put back by <a class="Anchor__StyledAnchor-sc-1fyvlgd-0 isqMXI" href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/elijah-melchiorre/qCOq9hnwEeuAzqREozo6lw/default.htm">Elijah Melchiorre</a> which wasn’t enough. Memorial completed their comeback and won by one point. SCORE AT THE END OF THE GAME Memorial - 50 Katy Taylor - 49 DOUBLE DIGIT SCORERS <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Jake-Arnold.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1093915" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Jake-Arnold-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="887061" first="Jake" last="Arnold"]: 6’3 G | Katy Taylor HS (HBU Commit) - 21 points <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Gaston-Elie.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1093916" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Gaston-Elie-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="887068" first="Gaston" last="Elie"]: 6’3 G | Memorial HS | 2021 - 19 points <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Carson-Ultis.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1093917" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Carson-Ultis-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a> <a class="Anchor__StyledAnchor-sc-1fyvlgd-0 gGoESU" href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/carson-ultis/T72kC_GzEemAzfp8ouYFiw/default.htm">Carson Ultis</a>: 6’1 G | Memorial HS | 2021 - 12 points