A packed gym, a roaring student section, and the kind of tension you could feel before players even took the court. Friday night’s rivalry game between Metea Valley and Waubonsie Valley felt like the event you simply couldn’t miss. In the days leading up to the game, the Barstool Instagram pages from both schools traded jabs, building the hype even higher. The crowd’s energy before tipoff was so intense that officials paused to remind everyone about sportsmanship, proper chanting, and no taunting rules, setting the tone for what everyone knew would be a high-stakes night.
From the opening tip, Metea came out firing. Senior Marcus Wallace threw down an early dunk that instantly ignited the student section, followed by back-to-back threes from senior Tre Watkins and junior Manny Miller. Each bucket pushed the momentum back toward Metea, and the gym responded with waves of noise that barely seemed to fade between plays.
“The atmosphere last Friday was amazing with fans popping out from both sides,” Watkins said. “I wasn’t really nervous or anything; I was more excited than nervous.”
The Mustangs’ biggest surge came towards the end of the third quarter, capped off by a deep buzzer-beater three from Watkins that sent the stands into chaos. Defensive grit carried into the fourth quarter, where key blocks and another Wallace dunk kept Metea within striking distance. Every play felt so important, and nobody could keep their eyes off the ball.
“The pressure was there,” senior CJ Jordan said, “But I had my teammates there with me, and we’re like a family, a brotherhood.”
In the final minutes, Waubonsie managed just enough separation to hold Metea off, handing the Mustangs a narrow 48–46 loss in a game that lived up to every ounce of its buildup.
“As a team, I felt like we played really good,” Watkins said. “We lost, but we were only one play off from winning a game. Next game, we only got to come with one play better.”
Despite the outcome, Friday night stood as a showcase of heart, rivalry, pride, and school spirit at its peak. Metea played with resilience from start to finish, and with the community showing up in full force, it’s clear the Mustangs’ season is only just beginning to heat up.
“I know [the team] had my back, whether we made shots or missed,” Jordan said.
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