Referee Appears to Push Scorekeeper During High School Basketball Game

A Michigan high school basketball game degenerated into chaos last week, and the adults involved in the game must take much of the blame.

An ugly scene occurred in the Feb. 10 bout between Hazel Park and North Farmington. A student threw a plastic tea bottle onto the court, stopping play with 1:15 left in regulation, and a referee apparently shoved a scorekeeper, according to reports from CBS Detroit and the Detroit Free Press' Perry A. Farrell.

Farrell later reported Hazel Park fired its announcer for "inappropriate comments made during the game."

Following the shove, the bleachers cleared and the officials appeared to leave the court.

The Hazel Park athletic director was also ejected in the third quarter for comments made to a referee. According to the report from WXYZ-TV Detroit's Jim Kiertzner, the Michigan High School Athletic Association requires the AD to miss the next game.

"Referees, the coaches, they all should be role models teaching the kids how to keep things under control," Hazel Park resident Willena Styles told Kiertzner.

[WXYZ-TV Detroit, CBS Detroit, Detroit Free Press]