Feb 7, 2018 2 min read

WPIAL executive director Tim O’Malley described the brawl between players and fans at Tuesday night’s Section 2-A title-deciding basketball game between Monessen and Clairton as “awful.”

“It’s totally unacceptable,” he added.

O’Malley was waiting for reports from school administrators about the incident. Those reports were to be submitted to the WPIAL by the end of the business day Wednesday.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, none of that information had been received, according to O’Malley.

A hearing at the WPIAL office in Green Tree, with coaches and administrators from both schools, is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday. That’s when the WPIAL will decide on penalties for both schools, which have each clinched playoff berths in Class A.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” O’Malley said about the severity of the brawl. “We haven’t seen this in the past.”

The fight started when a player from Monessen and one from Clairton began throwing punches in front of the Greyhounds’ bench midway through the fourth quarter. Seconds after the players were engaged in the fight, fans spilled onto the court and that led to an all-out brawl. 

The game was stopped because of the fight with 4:26 remaining in the fourth quarter and Monessen being declared the winner, 54-45. The win gives the Greyhounds their fifth straight section title. 

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

No decision has been made regarding suspensions or penalties, and O’Malley said the WPIAL’s board of directors will review the reports before Monday’s hearing.

“The board will decide on Monday,” O’Malley said. “(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.”