LaMelo Ball's Spire team involved in benches-clearing brawl with Springdale
LaMelo Ball returned to the court Monday night after absence due to injury only to hop off of it with a separate injury that may keep him out.
And in between there was a brawl.
Ball’s Spire Institute defeated Springdale Prep, 102-83, at Towson University in Maryland. The team held a 69-50 lead midway through the second half when the brawl broke out.
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A Springdale player attempted a shot underneath the rim only to be met with two Spire players who tipped it out of bounds. Words were exchanged as refs went to grab the ball and eight seconds after the play, the Springdale player threw an elbow out, hitting a Spire player, as he walked away from the end line.
The Springdale player then shoved him amid words, threw a punch at his shoulder through an intervening teammate, and both benches cleared, eventually reaching the other side of the court as fans filmed on cellphones.
Lonzo Wire, a USA Today blog, writes that fighting has become a “common theme” in Spire games.
More than once this season, opponents have either seen their emotions get the better of them or taken out their anger following a loss in a physical manner. To Spire’s credit, in nearly every case, the players mostly took the high road, as was mostly the case on Monday.
To his part, Ball stayed entirely out of the fray. He sidestepped Springdale players and ushered his team back to its seats. The youngest Ball put up a double-double of 14 points and 12 assists. He hopped to the sideline following a dunk with a cramp or minor tweak and did not return. It was his first game back since a broken finger kept him out, per USA Today.
NOOOOOOO LAMELO 😭😭😭 @MELOD1P @SPIRE_Institute pic.twitter.com/kSUtt2A3Nt
— Overtime (@overtime) February 19, 2019
Myron Gardner led Spire with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds along with four assists.
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