Brawls overshadow historic boys PSAL title game

NEW YORK -- Before the start of Sunday's Class AA New York City Public School Athletic League boys' basketball championship game between Brooklyn rivals Lincoln and Boys & Girls High at Madison Square Garden there were 500 security personnel from the New York City Police Department and Madison Square Garden security units spread throughout the arena, including 33 School Safety officers lining the basketball court. Still, the heavy police presence couldn't prevent a series of ugly brawls from breaking out amongst the 13,826 fans in attendance.

As Lincoln pulled away from Boys & Girls in the third quarter, the beginning of the fourth quarter was delayed 10 minutes because five separate brawls continued to break out in the upper sections of the arena. No injuries were reported at the Garden during the event, and security personnel ejected several hundred individuals from the building's upper seating area.

"I was definitely concerned for the kids," Lincoln coach Tiny Morton said after his team held on for a 77-50 victory to win their fifth city title in six years.

The trouble began late in the third quarter when Railsplitters guard Devon Peterson was fouled by Boys & Girls guard Zamal Nixon as he dribbled along the left baseline. Peterson then got to his feet and challenged Boys & Girls senior forward Antonio Johnson, but was quickly subdued by teammates and officials. Shortly thereafter fights began to break out in the crowd.

A WCBS-TV camera crew inside Madison Square Garden caught images of fights breaking out in the stands, including a girl slapping a boy, who in turn hit her. Other boys then jumped him and police intervened.

No announcement was made from the public address announcer, but Hot 97 radio station DJ Enuff, who was emceeing the event during timeouts and breaks in the action, took it upon himself to berate the brawlers over the loudspeakers, yelling, "What the f--- is wrong with ya'll? Come on. This is a basketball game."

One fan is shown in the WCBS-TV footage being struck by police officers with billy clubs. After the crowd spilled into the streets surrounding Madison Square Garden, police used crowd control tactics, including officers on horseback and in riot gear. The trouble spilled into Times Square, where there were reports of gun fire. Fortuntately, no injuries were reported. Twenty-one people, mostly teenagers, were arrested, police said. Some were charged with disorderly conduct or resisting arrest and one was arrested on a riot charge.

What began as a celebration of Boys & Girls coach Ruth Lovelace being the first woman to reach the league's championship game at Madison Square Garden -- as well as Lincoln's dynastic run through the city's public league -- ended with police kneeling on both baselines to prevent any remaining fans from storming the court.

"I never want to see anything like that again," said Lincoln sophomore guard Lance Stephenson, who was the game's MVP after scoring 29 points.

Looking to quell the explosive reaction to Sunday's near riot, the city's Department of Education announced Monday afternoon that next year's girls and boys high school championship games will only be open to the students and faculty members of participating schools, as well as the players' and coaches' family members.

Crowd control has been a continued problem for the PSAL over the years as many schools, including Lincoln, have metal detectors awaiting students and fans at the school's front doors. The Garden scene comes just three months after the PSAL was criticized for its handling of the riot that erupted in Brooklyn between Paul Robeson High and Jefferson High in mid-December. Robeson's season was canceled and Jefferson was forced to forfeit three league games and cancel a trip to Maryland for a holiday tournament.

The chaos also brought flashbacks to the 1994 brawl that erupted following the PSAL championship game at the Garden when a riot broke out between fans from George Washington High and Robeson High. After that event, the Garden considered banning the league from playing on its court.

Three days before this year's game at a promotional press conference, the Garden announced that it had extended its agreement with the PSAL to host the championship games for the next three years.

On Monday afternoon, the Garden released a prepared statement, saying, "We have offered our assistance to the NYPD to help identify event attendees that may have continued to engage in disorderly conduct after leaving the Garden. Given the security concerns, we will be evaluating whether to host this event in the future."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.