Shocking Video: Girls Basketball Team Attacks and Beats Referee as Game Ends
A girls basketball game ended in violence Sunday when a referee came under attack.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Department said one person was injured in the incident, according to the Shelby County Post. No arrests have been made.
The scuffling took place at Next Level Classic semifinal game between Dynasty Sports Performance Heat of Owensboro, Kentucky, and the Cincinnati Indians Elite, according to the Indianapolis Star.
WARNING: The links and video below contain violent images that some readers may find disturbing.
A video first posted to Instagram Reels and shared on Facebook showed a woman being kicked and punched while on the ground. Another video on Facebook showed the referee being struck in the head before being surrounded.
Randy Lane, who shot the video, is the parent of a Kentucky player. He said the Cincinnati players were out of line.
“The girls were threatening saying, ‘Hey why don’t you meet me in the parking lot?’ Some parents were also, during a basketball play, hollering don’t let her do that to you. ‘F’ her up,” Lane said, according to WISH-TV.
“I was shocked. Naturally, I started recording. I’ve never witnessed anything like that. You never think it’s gonna get that,” Lane said. “It’s a game. It’s just a game.”
DSB Heat coach Bobby Ewing said the referee was prey for the players.
“I see them running after her, and she’s backpedaling, and it’s just chaos. I’m talking just chaos,” Ewing said, according to WTHR.
He said a person in a black hoodie punched the official.
“Just punched her right in the face. You can see it. Jumps up, hits her in the face,” Ewing said.
Ewing told the Star that with his team well ahead, he wanted to end the game early. After an incident in which he said he was told that parents were telling Cincinnati players to “get” one of his players, the game was called.
He said he told the referee: “My kids are getting off this court. We’re not shaking their hands because something bad’s about to happen.”
He said eventually he and some adults were able to rescue the referee.
“Our kids were by an exit in the middle of the gym and some of them were going outside because they didn’t know where it was safe,” he said.
He said that after the incident, he realized how much it impacted his players.
“It bothered them. And that’s when it hit me. Like, man, this ain’t good. They’re scarred for life. Every time they walk into the gym, they’re going to think about this,” he said.
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