Feb 7, 2018 3 min read

The WPIAL will hold a hearing Monday to consider penalties against the Monessen and Clairton boys basketball teams after a brawl involving fans and players broke out at a game Tuesday in Clairton.

WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley said both teams had been told to submit summaries by 4 p.m. Wednesday regarding what happened during the fight, which caused the game to be ended with 4:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. The league’s board of directors plans to review the summaries Friday, in advance of the 4 p.m. Monday hearing.

O’Malley said the brawl was “totally unacceptable.”

“It goes without saying that anything like that in athletics has no place,” O’Malley said.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” O’Malley said about the severity of the brawl.

Clairton City School District in Allegheny County said on its Twitter account the incident involving adults and students was extremely serious, and it would fully cooperate with police and the WPIAL during the investigation.

“We are saddened by the incident and remind all those that attend any sporting event (adult and child) that violence will never be the answer,” the district stated on the social media platform.

A call to 911 included the following information about the fight: Two Clairton police officers were on a basketball detail when a large fight broke out. Officers on the scene requested backup from any local police agency willing to send help, according to a statement released by Allegheny County.

No one was immediately taken into custody. Southeast Regional Emergency Medical Services responded to the school.

Clairton firefighters also went to the Clairton Education Center to ventilate the school as a result of pepper spray deployment, according to the county’s statement.

The brawl broke out nearly halfway through the fourth quarter, with Monessen holding a 54-45 lead.

Officials ended the game after police broke up the fight. Monessen was leading 54-45 at the time and the Greyhounds were declared the winners. The victory gave Monessen its fifth consecutive section title.

Several cellphone videos of the large-scale brawl that cleared the benches have appeared on social media sites.

Monessen Superintendent Leanne Spazak said administrators from both districts met Wednesday to review videos and discuss solutions.

“We are not able to comment on the disciplinary action that will be imposed on any of the students involved,” Spazak said.

Clairton Mayor Richard Lattanzi said the city’s police department and other officials from the city and school district “will look at the camera feeds to follow up with citations to those who were involved in this embarrassing event.”

“We, the leaders of this city, strive to promote positive examples for our children in an effort to facilitate a healthy environment for our community,” Lattanzi said.

He said athletes need to maintain self-control while playing competitive sports, and that he hoped no one was seriously injured during the brawl.

Monessen was scheduled to play its final section game Wednesday night against West Greene, but inclement weather caused that game to be postponed until Friday. Monessen plays Saturday afternoon at Washington in a non-section contest.

Both Monessen and Clairton have qualified for the WPIAL Class A playoffs that begin next week.

“(The board) is going to take a look at what each school is planning to do, and the sincere hope is that both school districts will take appropriate action,” O’Malley said.

Staff writer Luke Campbell contributed to this story.