A stampede of students wearing jerseys from both opposing teams cover the squeaky court as the sound of yelling and landing punches fill the air. Dozens of students and parents gather on the court with confused looks on their faces. 

On Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, the Tiger basketball team faced off against a new contender in district play, the Lions of Tyler High.

Not even a full quarter through the competition, an altercation broke out between the teams.  

Talking turned into pushing, and pushing into punching until both benches emptied onto the court in a full out brawl. After the messy situation deescalated, the game play was suspended, resulting in losses being tacked onto both teams’ records. 

An investigation is now underway by the University Interscholastic League (UIL) as punishment and consequences are sought for both sides of the altercation. 

Usually, in the case of a small quarrel, either player may be ejected from the game by an official or maybe a coach. Unlike football where an ejected player must miss the remainder of a game and the complete first half of the next, basketball players are typically only barred from play in the remainder of the one game. 

However, due to the size and fallout, bigger steps are being taken.

“Honestly, we are waiting on the UIL to give us information as to what’s next,” Texas High Athletic Director Gerry Stanford said. “When they do, suspensions will be handed out and we will go from there.”

As of right now, both Texas and Tyler are both having to improvise their varsity teams, bringing up junior varsity athletes to fill the void at this time. 

“We will continue varsity play this Friday,” Stanford said. “As we will the rest of the season, right now we just have to wait to see what comes next.”