Brawl fallout: Buchtel declared winner over Akron East but faces suspensions heading into district final
Akron Buchtel has advanced to the OHSAA boys basketball Division II district final at North Ridgeville, but not without a fight. Literally.
After the game between Akron City Series rivals Buchtel and East ended Wednesday night after a fight broke out with just seconds remaining in the third quarter and Buchtel leading 53-32, the OHSAA announced Thursday that the Griffins would be declared the winner.
They will play in the district final against the winner of Thursday’s game between Shaw and Gilmour Academy.
Interim secretary and spokesman of the Northeast District Athletic Board Jeff Cassella had said Wednesday night that the OHSAA and the Northeast District Board would review video and reports before making a determination on what they would do going forward.
Around 4 p.m. Thursday, they released a statement on how they would proceed.
“After consulting with the Ohio High School Athletic Association staff and reviewing the game film of the incident during the Boys Basketball – Division 2 district semifinal game between Akron Buchtel and Akron East the Northeast District Athletic board has determined that the game will be considered final with 2.7 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter with Buchtel leading 53-32,” the statement said. “Buchtel will advance to the district championship game on Saturday at North Ridgeville High School at 4 p.m. vs the winner of Thursday’s Shaw vs Gilmour Academy game.”
While Buchtel will get to play in the district final, it will do so without its full roster. Players who were ejected from the game will also have to serve a suspension, the length of which will be determined by the OHSAA.
Because of the way the game was ended abruptly, the names of those players are not yet known.
“The players that were ejected from the contest from Buchtel will be suspended per OHSAA rules for the required number of contests that are mandated by the OHSAA. The remainder of the Buchtel team and coaches will be able to participate in Saturday’s District Final,” the statement said.
Despite allowing Buchtel to continue with its season, the board made it clear it was not happy with what took place Wednesday night.
“The NEDAB is disappointed in the actions of some of the members of the Akron East and Akron Buchtel boys basketball programs,” the statement said. “The actions of these individuals have no place in high school athletics.”
But the board also praised those who helped keep Wednesday’s incident as contained as it was.
“We also would like to compliment and thank the tournament staff, the staff of the North Ridgeville Schools and the police department of North Ridgeville for their ability to quickly de-escalate the situation to prevent any further incidents arising,” the statement said.
