Cathedral vs. Pentucket Regional Standouts: Tayla, the General

For some good sunday afternoon basketball, I got to catch Pentucket Regional High School play against Cathedral High School at Cathedral. In a nail-biting game ending in overtime, the Cathedral Panthers were able to pull off a win despite being down majority of the game up. After making it 49-49 with less than five seconds left, they shut it down in overtime, out-scoring a good Pentucket team 11-1, ending the game at 60-50. Here are the standouts from both teams Sunday. <strong>Players of the Game:</strong> <strong><img class=" wp-image-380535 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Photo-Jan-23-12-52-52-PM-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="92" height="138" />[player_tooltip player_id="263970" first="Tayla" last="Barros"] || 5'10 || G || 2023</strong> Barros being one of Cathedral's most efficient scorers, came through with 18 points and added 4 steals. She was able to keep the game under control and help knockdown crucial points, including her assist to the game-tying layup. The confidence in her shot allowed her to hit 4 3-pointers with or without a defender in her face. Barros worked incredibly well under pressure, taking her time to look for open teammates and had consistent court awareness throughout the entire game. <strong><img class="wp-image-380536 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Photo-Jan-23-1-54-30-PM-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="94" height="141" />[player_tooltip player_id="380715" first="Lana" last="Mickelson"] || 5'10 || PF || 2022</strong> Leading Pentucket with 17 rebounds, Mickelson also added 14 points mostly coming from the paint and hit a few mid-range shots, including the layup to put Pentucket up by 2 with less than 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Mickelson really stepped up the second half of the game and did everything a power forward needed to do on both sides of the court to her fullest ability, boxing out, getting rebounds, defending the rim and setting screens. With her versatility and quickness in the front court, Mickelson easily filled up the stat sheet. &nbsp; <strong>Cathedral Standouts:</strong> <strong><img class="wp-image-380537 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Photo-Jan-23-1-10-20-PM-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="94" height="141" />[player_tooltip player_id="353547" first="Sara" last="Thompson"] || 5'5 || G || 2023</strong> Thompson had a great night defensively, playing airtight defense without causing unnecessary fouls and forcing multiple turnovers. She's one of Cathedrals' most reliable shooters being ready every trip, having good shot selections and finding ways to be open. Thompson had 12 points, being 4 3-pointers, including one to end Pentuckets' possibilities of keeping the game close in overtime. &nbsp; <strong><img class="wp-image-380538 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Photo-Jan-23-12-43-04-PM-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="94" height="141" />[player_tooltip player_id="287352" first="Yedidya" last="Lubunga"] || 5'10 || G/SF || 2023</strong> Lubunga made all the plays necessary in the fourth quarter to bring Cathedral to a win. Lubunga's forced turnover at under 10 seconds in a two point game led her to score a game-tying layup at less than 5 seconds left, assisted by [player_tooltip player_id="263970" first="Tayla" last="Barros"]. Her lack of hesitation to attack the basketball, never failed to add some extra free points at the line. She capped the game off with 13 points. &nbsp; <strong>Pentucket Standouts:</strong> <strong><img class=" wp-image-380540 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Photo-Jan-23-12-53-57-PM-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="95" height="143" />[player_tooltip player_id="297224" first="Alyssa" last="Thompson"] || 5'7 || G || 2023</strong> Thompson added to Pentuckets' numbers with 13 points and racked up a couple of good steals. Her high-speed motor was quite impressive, she kept the ball constantly moving and was a pesky defender. On top of that, she's an incredible shooter, whether it's a heavily contested shot or an easy catch-and-shoot, Thompson knocked down 3 3-pointers this game. <strong><img class="wp-image-380541 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/Photo-Jan-23-12-54-05-PM-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="96" height="145" />[player_tooltip player_id="496129" first="Gabriella" last="Bellacqua"] || G || 2024</strong> Bellacqua maintained her role well, she kept a good eye between the ball and who she was defending, which resulted in some important steals. Her persistent hustle for the rebound really stood out to me and most importantly she had strong ball control all throughout the game and was aggressive when taking it to the basket, which was vital to keeping the game close. She finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;