WATCH: Chaotic Brawl Ensues At NJ High School Basketball Game
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A New Jersey high school boys’ basketball tournament game was suspended after a wild brawl broke out between players on Thursday night.
The game between Camden and Camden Eastside in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was halted with 4:24 left in the second quarter after Camden’s Cornelius Robinson punched Eastside player Titus Bacon, according to the Courier Post. The officials blew the whistle to stop the play, and Bacon retaliated.
Players, coaches, and onlookers quickly stormed the court. Camden County police promptly diffused the situation shortly after the punches were thrown.
In a statement obtained by NJ.Com, Camden City School District said:
We are disappointed to learn that this evening’s Camden County Championship basketball game between Camden High School has been suspended following an on-the-court altercation during the game. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our students and fans. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.
This incident is not an indication of who we are. … And, we expect our student-athletes to compete with sportsmanship. The District will take all necessary steps for appropriate disciplinary action.
Eastside’s athletic director, Mark Phillips, and head basketball coach, Kenny Avent, stood up for their student-athletes.
“None of my kids left the bench. We should be fine. None of my kids left the bench,” Avent said. “I don’t know what happened with their team; I just wanted to get my kids to the locker room.”
“The video shows our team didn’t leave the bench,” Phillips said. “Everything else, we’ll see how it turns out.”
Camden’s basketball coach Maalik Waayns did not comment on the altercation.
New Jersey’s basketball state tournament is set to begin on Monday, and both programs could face penalties for the brawl. Teams who are already in the tournament can still face a ban before it begins, according to NJSIAA rules.
Any varsity team accumulating three (3) or more player or coach disqualification prior to the start of the tournament will not be permitted to participate in the state tournament. Seeded teams will forfeit their right to compete if a disqualification limit is reached prior to the start of the tournament for the team.
Watch above via NJ.Com.
