Dyawna Marie Media
Metro Showdown vs McKinley!
February 16, 2023
Written and Photos by Dyawna Gamble on February 16, 2023
Are you still thinking about it? I know I am! The tension on February 6th in Soldan High School around 6:00 was hotter than your average mid-day summer! The friendly rivalry between St. Louis areas Metro and McKinley high schools is a big one. As you first step into the gym, you see a very obvious split of two colors: black and white.
Although the jerseys show otherwise, Metro’s side of the room was filled with all white clothing while McKinley's side was suited out in all black. Both teams’ cheerleaders came with energy, halftime shows and diss cheers locked and loaded! This is probably the first game I’ve been to where the two crowds were talking to each other more than the players on the court and cheerleaders combined. And that heat didn’t stop early on it lasted until the last person left the gym. From teachers almost running on the court for bad ref calls to players jumping into the bleachers to save loose balls to students saying chants like “score board” and “get y’all grades up” there was absolutely not a single dull moment in this game.
With a score of 78 points you have to have some good players, sharp shooters and a great coach like Tenelle Winmore. Metro had both of those that night! Amari Foluke (#1), Devin Carter (#22) and Keteyian Cade (#2) were Metro’s top three scorers. Keteyian Cade brought it with 6 rebounds and multiple layups helped his team by scoring his career-high of 18 points. But Cade wasn’t the only one racking up rebounds, Reyfugio “Rey” Reyes (#55) also supported his team with 6 rebounds as well. Aaron Fisher (#15) not to far behind them with a total of 5 but that's not all he was doing. Blink and you missed him, Fisher was up and down the court faster than anyone else. Probably one of the most aggressive and dominate players for Metro. He threw dime after dime to his teammates, although he didn’t score as much as others, if Fisher wasn't on the court that night, the game would have gone very differently. Last but not least, Jaden Furman (#13), the games hype man. From the beginning to getting the crowd cheering to mid-game scoring a 3 point shot. Seconds after Furman stops a McKinley player midway down the court, steals the ball then brings it in for a layup. At this point the crowd was going crazy.
Below are this Games
Individual Stories
Devin (Devo) Carter
“We’re a unit” the phrase that stuck with Devin Carter during the Metro vs. McKinley game and that's exactly how they played. During this game Carter was all over the floor, at one point he stole the ball from a McKinley player then so graceful made a layup. Not so long after his half-court defense skills came out of no where. While defending the floor captain so aggressively it lead him to call his own time out. Walking back to the bench all of his teammates and classmates were shouting and hugging him. He scored a career high of 22 points! Carter's overall thought was that his team played hard and that’s why they took the victory. “The players who put up the most fight have to be between Amari, Rey and Aaron. Once they are in it they are consistent and really put it out there.”
“Always pretty. Always unstoppable” are words used to describe Carter's biggest inspiration Kyrie Irving but can easily be said about this player right here.
Amari Foluke
Amari Foluke, this name might sound a little familiar. This 6 foot Senior Point Guard is currently the leading scorer in the State of Missouri! “Knowing any game could be your last
is my biggest inspiration and it makes me go out there and play hard… I handled the challenges of the game by being calm, and knowing we could pull through and get the win in the end.” Foluke was on fire, weaving through his opponents and throwing dimes to teammates, finishing with a total of 25 points. His favorite play of the game was Cade’s and-1 in the beginning of the game. “It set the energy and tempo for how we came out and we played like that until the end.”
Foluke is a hard worker, someone willing to put in the work and encourages others to do so. Which is why when he got injured during the fourth quarter he came out minutes later, immediately getting an and-1. No one in the gym was surprised because of how determined he stays. He said, “both teams fought hard until the end and at times it looked like any team could come out on top. It was very exciting to be a part of that game and those moments.”
by Dyawna Gamble on January 23, 2023
Dyawna Gamble Media, St. Louis, MO, 63102
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