Game between reigning state champs Aliquippa, Imani Christian called off after skirmish
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Sunday, January 19, 2025 | 12:28 AM
A WPIAL boys basketball game between two reigning state champions was cut short Saturday after spectators ran onto the floor during an on-court skirmish.
The nonsection contest between Aliquippa and Imani Christian at Allderdice was called off with 4:23 left in the second quarter. Video showed two players fighting for a rebound when an Imani Christian player under the basket appeared to be pushed to the floor.
Spectators soon flooded the court.
Aliquippa coach Nick Lackovich said he believed officials would’ve resolved the situation and the game could’ve continued had those spectators stayed in their seats.
“It was more of a spectator issue than a player issue,” said Lackovich, adding that the initial conflict under the basket wasn’t unusual for a tightly contested game. “Two guys catch the same ball on a rebound, they call a jump ball and nobody wants to let go. That happens a lot in games.”
Aliquippa held a 23-22 lead.
Lackovich said no Aliquippa players were injured in the incident. Imani Christian coach Khayree Wilson didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Here’s video of the scene that ended the Aliquippa vs. Imani Christian boys basketball game early on Saturday.
Quips coach Nick Lackovich said he believed officials would’ve resolved the situation and the game could’ve continued if spectators had stayed in their seats. pic.twitter.com/Gh2qxCO3Og
— Chris Harlan (@CHarlan_Trib) January 19, 2025
The contest was part of a five-game showcase named “The Challenge at Allderdice.” Aliquippa vs. Imani Christian was a highly anticipated matchup since each won WPIAL and PIAA titles last season in separate classifications.
Aliquippa (10-3) is ranked first in WPIAL Class 3A this season. Imani Christian (8-5) is fifth in 6A.
Event organizer Allen Deep said officials decided to cancel the remainder of the game. He said some players did leave the bench during the incident but agreed that spectators running onto the court escalated the situation.
He said the scene looked worse than it was.
“They weren’t really doing anything,” Deep said. “I think everybody was trying to hold everybody back. There were no punches thrown or anything.”
The final game of the night between Moon and Allderdice was played as scheduled. As the organizer, Deep said he was disappointed to see the Aliquippa vs. Imani Christian matchup disrupted the way it was.
“It was going to be a fabulous game,” he said.
It’s possible some players could face discipline.
Under NFHS rules, any player engaged in fighting is assessed a flagrant foul and disqualified from the game. A substitute leaving the bench area to join a fight is assessed a flagrant technical foul and also disqualified.
Such ejections earn an automatic one-game suspension under PIAA rules.
“It was just pushing and shoving,” Deep said. “Before you even know it, the bench emptied. When the benches empty, they call the game.”
Aliquippa superintendent Phillip Woods said Aliquippa’s reserve players never left the area near their bench. Woods said he, athletic director Jennifer Damico and security personnel brought by the school kept the Aliquippa players in place while their coaches went onto the court to diffuse the altercation.
“You didn’t see any of those kids cross the half-court line (in the video),” Woods said. “If there was another angle, you would have seen us keeping the kids in the area (near the bench) and returning the other players back to the area.”
In October, the NFHS rule about leaving the bench was highlighted when City League football teams Westinghouse and USO were involved in an altercation. The incident resulted in one-game suspensions for a number of Westinghouse players.
“We’ve learned from that Westinghouse experience that if you leave the bench you get suspended,” Woods said.
He said Aliquippa coaches will review video to address the individual actions of players on the court.
“We’re going to look at this as a learning tool,” Woods said, “for how to handle things moving forward.”
The WPIAL on Friday placed the Imani Christian boys basketball program on probation for one year following a league investigation into an enrollment issue involving a transfer.
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Aliquippa, Imani Christian
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