School officials plan to resume South Bend Washington-Riley game halted by fan brawl

SOUTH BEND — A halftime brawl in the stands forced the postponement of a boys basketball game at South Bend Washington High School Thursday night.

School officials called off the game between Washington and rival South Bend Riley after security and police were called in to help break up multiple fights between spectators, several of which spilled onto the floor.

Video from the Indiana High School Athletic Association live feed captured the brawl that took several minutes to get under control. At that point the Senior Night contest was cancelled for the night and the gymnasium cleared.

A South Bend Police spokesperson said there were no serious injuries and no arrests made. At one point during the incident, all South Bend officers on duty were dispatched to Washington to regain order and help disperse the crowd.

"There are a lot of questions from the community why (no arrests were made)," South Bend Police media liaison Ashley O'Chap said Friday morning. "Logistics, manpower, the sheer number of people (involved) and the priority of getting everyone out safely played into that."

Ranked No. 6 in 3A, Washington was celebrating its senior night and was trailing the Wildcats, 30-28, at the break.

South Bend Riley and Washington coaches react

When the fights began, Riley head coach Alex Daniel ushered his varsity players into the locker room, where they stayed until the gym was closed. Daniel said he returned to the court to help grab any JV players still in the stands and ensure player parents their kids were safe. Riley then traveled back to the school as a team.

"We had conversations with guys about what happened," Daniel told The Tribune Friday. "This may not be over, so stay safe, stay home, don't get yourself in situations where it spills over. We just want to make sure our guys are at home and taken care of. It's just an unfortunate situation."

Noie:South Bend Washington, high school basketball deserved better than Thursday's 'fan' brawl

Washington head coach Ryan Varga expressed on his Facebook page that the fight robbed his seniors of their special night.

"The city of South Bend lost tonight," Varga wrote. "... This had nothing to do with Riley High School or Washington High School. Nothing to do with both administrations or police controlling the environment...What this was, was immaturity. It was non-students bringing drama to an environment that had nothing to do with it."

Twitter posts also show that Purdue men's basketball head coach Matt Painter was also in attendance in the first half to scout potential recruits. His No. 1 Boilermakers are scheduled to play No. 21 Indiana at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Will the game go on?

The South Bend Community School Corp. is planning to finish the game, though a date and details of resumption have yet to be decided, according to Assistant Superintendent of Academics, Brandon White. That includes whether or not spectators will be allowed.

He did say it is important that the game be completed.

"We don't want poor decisions made by individuals," White said, "to take away opportunities that are supposed to create memories."

Paul Neidig, Indiana High School Athletic Association Commissioner, said it is up to Riley and Washington administrators to determine a time and location for the game to resume.

If the game isn't resumed it would be ruled a no contest.

There is also the possibility of finishing the game after both teams conclude this year's state tournament, no matter how deep those postseason runs are.

Though there are IHSAA rules in place for discipline to be handed down to Washington as the host school, Neidig said there is no reason to after reviewing video of the incident.

"I would even applaud how (Washington) handled this event," Neidig said. "Administration was on site with substantial presence (including eight student resource officers). I think the school was proactive in its approach."

White added that South Bend Schools has worked with the South Bend Police Department to help provided any evidence, video or witness accounts to assist investigation.

"Unfortunately individuals chose to come to the game and buy a ticket, not to watch the boys play, but to cause chaos," White said. "... We want to send a clear message that this type of behavior is not tolerated in our school buildings and events."

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana high school basketball fans brawl at South Bend Washington