Lancet Jades
02-28-2004, 10:41 PM
Illinois high school basketball game ends in brawl
The Associated Press
Last Updated 6:35 a.m. PST Saturday, February 28, 2004
METROPOLIS, Ill. (AP) - Angry high school basketball fans stormed the court after their undefeated team was handed a loss, starting a brawl that sent five people to the hospital.
Forty law enforcement officers responded to the clash Friday night after Massac County beat No. 1-ranked Cairo 64-61 at home.
A missed 3-point shot by Cairo senior Kalin Lowe in the final seconds of the game touched off the incident, said Joey Fosko, a sports reporter from The Paducah Sun in Kentucky, who was at the game.
Just after the final buzzer, both upset Cairo supporters and ecstatic Massac County fans rushed on to the gym floor, Fosko said. About 2,200 people were at the regional championship game.
"There was yelling and mouthing. There were actual blows being exchanged," Fosko said.
Massac County's coach told the (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan that a bottle hit the Cairo coach. There was no word if the coach was injured.
An adult and four adolescents were treated at Massac Memorial Hospital and released, hospital officials said.
The Associated Press
Last Updated 6:35 a.m. PST Saturday, February 28, 2004
METROPOLIS, Ill. (AP) - Angry high school basketball fans stormed the court after their undefeated team was handed a loss, starting a brawl that sent five people to the hospital.
Forty law enforcement officers responded to the clash Friday night after Massac County beat No. 1-ranked Cairo 64-61 at home.
A missed 3-point shot by Cairo senior Kalin Lowe in the final seconds of the game touched off the incident, said Joey Fosko, a sports reporter from The Paducah Sun in Kentucky, who was at the game.
Just after the final buzzer, both upset Cairo supporters and ecstatic Massac County fans rushed on to the gym floor, Fosko said. About 2,200 people were at the regional championship game.
"There was yelling and mouthing. There were actual blows being exchanged," Fosko said.
Massac County's coach told the (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan that a bottle hit the Cairo coach. There was no word if the coach was injured.
An adult and four adolescents were treated at Massac Memorial Hospital and released, hospital officials said.