Columbus high school boys basketball showcase halted because of 'multiple fights'
A skirmish broke out in the stands during a high school boys basketball game Saturday night at Africentric Early College, leading to “multiple fights” and the remainder of the five-game showcase known as The Challenge being canceled.
Moments after the melee began midway through the fourth quarter of the Pickerington Central-Walnut Ridge game, fans began pouring out of the stands toward the court.
The initial skirmish happened in the upper stands behind the Walnut Ridge bench. Soon after, a fight broke out behind the basket at the other end of the court, adjacent to the Central bench.
Both teams hurried to their respective locker rooms while Columbus police and school security tried to stop the fighting. More police officers also were called in. A police dispatcher told The Dispatch there were “multiple fights” but had no other information.
Five games were scheduled for Saturday at Africentric, 3223 Allegheny Ave. Central-Walnut Ridge was the fourth game of the the event, which is known as The Challenge, an annual showcase pitting teams from the City League and OCC.
After consulting with security personnel and others working at the event, Africentric coach Michael Bates said he was told a young fan displayed what was deemed to be a stun gun, prompting the incident. Fans had to pass through a metal detector while entering the school.
“We had four great games, great energy,” Bates said. “The crowds were into the games, everything was going phenomenally well. Unfortunately, somebody had a little Taser, and it went off. Nobody got hit with it, but they heard it go off. It’s a scary sound, and that’s when people left the stands.”
After a delay, the Central-Walnut Ridge game was ruled a no-contest with Central leading 67-51.
Central and Walnut Ridge were playing in front of a capacity crowd. Unlike some prep events in which spectators must leave following each game, fans at Africentric could remain for the entire day, leading to the crowd growing throughout the day.
“It’s a great event,” Central coach Eric Krueger said. “It’s just unfortunate that this had to happen then. (Bates) does a great job. He’s obviously disappointed. We’re all disappointed. It’s not his fault. It’s unfortunate it ended the way it did.”
The final game between Westerville North and Africentric was canceled, but Bates and North coach Shan Trusley hope to reschedule.
“It’s disappointing,” Trusley said. “The kids were excited. It’s always an honor to be invited to an event and to be the headline game. The kids were looking forward to that. We were (in the locker room) doing our pregame stuff. We were going over our matchups and then all of a sudden, the officials from the previous game came running in. They started yelling at us to stay in here.”
Trusley said he immediately began texting players’ parents to let them know their children were safe.
Worthington Kilbourne beat Linden-McKinley 50-37 in the first game. Hilliard Bradley then beat South 65-35 and Pickerington North defeated Eastmoor Academy 67-34.
“It’s unfortunate because these are the types of events that kids want to play in and people want to come to,” Bates said. “You get five good games for $10. It’s a great venue. It was awesome. Unfortunately, we have some people that chose the opportunity to do the wrong things.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio boys basketball showcase halted because of 'multiple fights'
