The Camden City School District is withdrawing Camden High School and Camden Eastside High School from competing in the boys basketball state tournament following an altercation involving both teams during a game.
During Thursday night’s Camden County Championship basketball game at Cherry Hill High School East, an on-the-court altercation broke out between Camden High and Eastside.
There were no injuries during the altercation, but the game was suspended.
In a statement by the school district following the altercation, officials said the incident needed to be a learning experience and the players needed to know that accountability for their actions is important.
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The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) said it welcomes the Camden school district’s decision and that it is consistent with their rules that would have eliminated both teams from the tournament.
Now that the two teams have been removed from the tournament, Lindenwold High School, which was set to play against Camden High, and Clearview Regional High School, which was set to play against Eastside, will both receive forfeit wins and advance to the next round, according to the NJSIAA.
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Camden High is in the top 10 teams in the country, according to ESPN.
"The students involved in the incident from both schools have had a tremendous season and have worked incredibly hard to be successful. We are not taking away any of the prior successes they have had this year, but we want them to know their actions have consequences," the school district said.
