Hayes Steps Over Stepinac
Cardinal Hayes Class of 2022 forward Tarique Foster entered Friday night’s game averaging 14 points and seven boards and the lesser heralded, unsung forward alongside high major target Ian Jackson and heavily recruited 6-foot-8 forward Tobe Awaka. Foster scored 19 points and had several timely buckets during Cardinal Hayes’ 70-67 victory over Stepinac in the Bronx Friday night.
Long, versatile, and with a guard’s handle at 6-foot-8, Foster is an underrated commodity with a skill set that would make him a unique threat at the next level of play. He’s capable of creating his own shot off dribble penetration and can operate the offense and elicit mismatch headaches with the ball in his hands.
He’s been hearing from Rutgers and Manhattan but remains a veritable unsung and overlooked product on the recruiting market. A fluid athlete, Foster has the bouncy and above the rim finishing style and length/that enables him to guard multiple positions defensively.
Foster has been a veritable defensive backbone for this Cardinal Hayes team, which entertains lofty expectations given its wealth of talent and numerous Division-1 bound players. He’s got a wingspan and an active shot manipulating presence that helps navigate the driving lanes. His day-to-day development and incremental transformation from a mobile, athletic forward to a Swiss Army knife type who can put the ball on the deck should add appeal for college coaches.
During the third quarter, Foster’s play helped Hayes sustain a four-point edge against Stepinac. He scored on an elbow jumper and then completed a traditional 3-point play, scoring a banker in traffic and drawing the foul. He hit a pair of free throws in the waning moments of the quarter.
Foster buried a corner 3-pointer nine seconds into the fourth quarter. Stepinac was without highly coveted guard Boogie Fland, who is projected to miss half the season with an injury. Hayes’ big blow came from highly touted and super bouncy sophomore Ian Jackson, who hit a deep jumper that lifted the lead to eight in the fourth.
Awaka had a monstrous block on a Gibbs drive that shifted the momentum. Stepinac cut it back to two on a timely 3-pointer by Isaiah Alexander, but Hayes was able to fend off the spirited rally.
Foster got started when he freed up for a corner 3-pointer that gave Hayes a 7-6 lead with 5:20 remaining in the first quarter. Foster had a block, a putback, and a pull-up mid-range jumper through traffic as Hayes held a slim 19-18 first quarter lead. Samuel Gibbs, the left-handed senior guard, kick started Stepinac by scoring 11 of its first 13 points. Jackson delivered a dazzling putback dunk that send the gym into a frenzy during a quick-paced opening eight minutes of the game.