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A fourth quarter brawl ended Thibodaux’s girls’ basketball game with Hahnville on Jan. 12.
(SEE THAT FIGHT ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE THIBODAUX IS IN WHITE, HAHNVILLE IN PURPLE)
Now 10 days later, both teams are still awaiting a penalty ruling from the Louisiana High School Athletic Association regarding the future.
Hahnville led the game by 5 with more than 2 minutes left in regulation when the fight started, which caused officials to end the game without an official completion.
Per LHSAA precedent from the past few seasons, a game-ending fight results in a double-forfeiture for both teams, so it’s highly likely that both Thibodaux and Hahnville will be given a loss for the game.
Additional penalties may result, as well, because in some instances teams are forced to forfeit their first game after the fight, as well.
Because of the winter storm last week, neither team has played again since the fight.
LHSAA precedent says that the two-game forfeiture often occurs when the fight clears the benches.
In a video obtained by The Times, it’s hard to tell for certain, but it appears that both reserve players and fans on both sides spill onto the court in the melee, which was eventually separated by cops and administrators.
Individual player suspensions are possible, as well, based on if anyone is deemed to have been a perpetrator in the incident.
The LHSAA’s eventual result will have big postseason implications. Thibodaux is No. 15 right now in power rankings projections. They need to stay in the Top 16 to host an opening-round game.
For Hahnville, it’s even more important. They sit at No. 36 and need to jump to the Top 32 to make the postseason.
This is the second time in less than a year a brawl ends a game in the local Class 5A district. Last year, a halftime fight ended a game between Central Lafourche and East St. John’s boys’ basketball game – a melee which resulted in both the Trojans and Wildcats losing the game and also having their entire varsity teams suspended for the first-round of the Class 5A State Playoffs.
The Trojans did not have a full JV squad, so they forfeited their playoff game. The Wildcats played and lost to H.L. Bourgeois.
When an official ruling is made, The Times will update readers on the situation.
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