Girls BasketBrawl

When I read this story out of Cincinnati, I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or merely sit in stunned disbelief:

The varsity and junior varsity girls' basketball teams at Hughes and Woodward both have been suspended from competition indefinitely, after a fight at Saturday's JV game between the schools at Woodward.

Dave Dierker, Cincinnati Public Schools athletic director, said the teams will not play pending an investigation. Both Hughes and Woodward are CPS schools.

"It's a very unfortunate situation, but it needs to be fully explored," Dierker said. "It could last two games. It could last the whole season. We don't know yet, but it will be a (CPS) district decision."

Cincinnati school district spokeswoman Janet Walsh said two basketball coaches, Woodward varsity coach Randall Broxterman and Hughes JV coach Michelle Davis, have been suspended from their coaching duties, pending an investigation.

Walsh said the coaches allegedly were involved in the incident, but she could not give additional details. Davis and Broxterman could not be reached for comment.

The incident occurred about midway through the Hughes-Woodward JV game Saturday, Dierker said, and resulted in the rest of the game being canceled. The varsity game, which was to be played after the JV game, also was canceled after the fight.

Dierker said the incident originated in the stands and did not at first involve either team's players, but then matters spilled onto the basketball court and some of the teams' JV and varsity players became involved. Dierker said he did not know of any serious injuries.

I wonder if there is any record of a spelling bee or the Academic Decathlon ending in hand-to-hand combat? ---------------------------See our latest posts right here.