HS basketball game ends in massive brawl, 1 arrest made and 2 pending
Tensions that apparently had been simmering throughout a Delaware high school basketball playoff game Thursday bubbled over, resulting in a brawl that forced the game to end early and led to at least one arrest.
The game between Smyrna and Cape Henlopen was called with 4:02 remaining in the fourth quarter after an altercation between a Cape Henlopen player and a spectator spilled onto the floor, causing fans and players to pour onto the court.
The potentially dangerous situation ended with no significant injuries, but one arrest has been made and at least two more are pending, according to local authorities.
The Delaware News-Journal reports that of the three suspects in the case, one is one a Cape Henlopen basketball player and the other two are spectators.
All three have already turned themselves in to police or plan to do so, Milford police Sgt. Robert Masten said.
One unidentified 18-year-old male has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and third-degree assault. His unsecured bail was set at $1,000.
The two others are being sought or were in the process of being taken into custody after their arraignments, Masten said.
During a timeout with Smyrna leading 61-34 with 4:02 left in the game, players from both teams were huddled at their respective benches when the altercation began near the end of the Cape Henlopen bench.
“The kid [a spectator] swung at him [the Cape Henlopen player],” Cape Henlopen coach Stephen Re said Thursday night. “And then once I saw [him] swing back, that’s when I yanked him and I took him away. And then I just held him, and then somebody grazed my head and hit him while I was holding him.”
Multiple punches were thrown as coaches and officials from both schools tried to separate players and spectators.
Masten said five officers were working the game. Those officers responded immediately, and additional officers were called.
Re told WDEL radio that spectators behind his team’s bench had been taunting players throughout the game.
“We have to come to the bench and get continuously heckled,” he said. “We’ve got guys taking video of my bench players while the game is going on, and they’re trying to sit down on the bench, and people put their feet where we’re supposed to sit. I’m coaching, so I don’t see all that, but to me, that whole setup was just dynamite waiting to explode.”
The contest was a one-game playoff to determine the conference’s Northern Division champion since both teams had tied for first place. Smyrna was declared the winner of the game and advanced to the conference championship game.
The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association met Friday to determine if any suspensions or other disciplinary actions will be taken against individuals involved in the brawl.
The DIAA also said it was working with its member schools to prevent any similar incidents.
“Regarding last night’s Smyrna/Cape basketball game, at this time all matters are being handled by the school districts involved,” the organization said in a statement. “The DIAA and its membership are working on additional safeguards to help prevent future incidents.
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