Mustangs sweep Axtell Park; split with Brandon Valley

In showdowns with the two teams that Memorial will only play one time this year, MMS went a combined 3 - 1. The lone defeat was against BV's B Team.
A Game: The Mustangs notched their first win of the season vs. Axtell Park, 37-27. Memorial outscored the opponent in each of the four quarters. Taryn C. led the way on offense, scoring 13 points. Tyler S. and Jonny C. gave the team some much needed energy on both ends of the court, causing many turnovers and getting a lot of loose balls. Tyler H. also did an outstanding job of keeping the opposing post player in check. Coach Hoegh felt that "it was a good win for us, but we need to get better with a difficult schedule coming soon."
In the next game, the Mustangs defeated Brandon Valley in a close one, 38-35. Memorial found themselves down 18-12 at halftime, but came roaring back in the 3rd quarter to lead by 4 going into the final frame. "David K. hit a couple of huge threes in the 3rd that propelled us to a great win," Coach Hoegh said post-game. He added, "Our guys really showed some mental toughness after being down at halftime. Everyone on the team believed that we had enough to come back and win the game, and that confidence helped us make some outstanding plays down the stretch."
B Game: Coming off a difficult opening game loss, Memorial responded with an outstanding performance vs. Axtell Park on February 17, winning the game 46-24. All 15 players on the team contributed to the victory. "I went into the game wanting intensity for the whole duration of the game," said Coach Hoegh, "and that it what the team brought tonight. They really played hard for each other. John L. made a couple of great passes early in the game, and that helped the rest of the team play unselfishly. Sam D. and Zack L. had some crazy buzzer-beaters to end quarters, so that was huge, too."
Two days later with Brandon Valley as the opponent, Memorial fell 28-20. The Mustangs made a strong rally in the 4th quarter, but it was not enough in the end. Coach Hoegh felt his players reacted poorly to early mistakes, which affected their play for the rest of the game. "We need to have a short memory during a basketball game because there's always another play to be made."
The Mustangs play next at Edison Middle School on February 25.

Game 1 vs. O'Gorman

A Game: Despite a good effort, Memorial dropped their first game of the season to the O'Gorman Knights, 41-33. The Knights got out to an early 8-point lead after the first quarter, but the home team played them even for the rest of the way. Coach Hoegh commented that "After the first quarter, we fought extremely hard to get back into the game. Our effort was a good thing to observe this first game, and that kind of perseverance will help us in the future." He added, "We need to do a better job of taking care of the ball, and at knocking down shots when we get them. Defensively, we were scrappy, but we need to improve away from the ball with our help defense. All in all, it was a typical first game. I'm excited that we will get another chance to play O'G."
B Game: The Mustangs fell to the Knights in a one-sided game, 48-19. There were few highlights for Memorial, but Coach Hoegh thought that each quarter was an improvement upon the previous one. Following the game, he had this to say: "I thought that nerves played a role early. We made a few mistakes that were out-of-character, and we didn't do a good enough job of putting past mistakes where they should be -- the past. Hopefully we got our worst game of the the season out of the way. O'Gorman was well-prepared for this game, and I think the lack of practice time for us hurt. As a team, we need to remember to stay behind one another, even when things do not go as planned. We have some good leaders on this team, and I don't think we will dwell on it any longer than we should."
Next Game: February 17 vs. Axtell Park