CALVIN – An altercation involving fans and players broke out during a Class B District boys basketball contest at Calvin Friday night.

Heated exchanges turned physical among both players and fans who rushed onto the court during the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association playoff game between host Calvin and Leflore. The fight caused the Saturday night district championship game to be moved to Wilburton High School.

Calvin superintendent Travis Graham set the scene.

“With approximately 5:15 left in the fourth quarter, Calvin was leading 66-36. LeFlore fans began accessing the court in response to an on-court incident,” Graham said in a statement to The Ada News.

“At that time, Calvin administrators and coaches attempted to get the fans back in the bleachers while also trying to get the athletes away from the opposing team and fans. Once opposing fans accessed the court, the main priority was making sure student-athletes were safe and removed from the court.”

The OSSAA basketball manual outlines guidelines for schools for supervision during contests, including crowd control and security.

The schools are expected to conduct investigations into the incident before filing a report with the OSSAA. Once that is received, the OSSAA will review the findings, conduct its own probe, and coordinate with the two schools on appropriate action.

Graham said he expects no punishment to be handed down to his CHS team from the OSSAA from the ugly incident.

“The game was called and Calvin advanced to the next round without any disciplinary action for players or coaches from the OSSAA,” he said. “The OSSAA is working with LeFlore ISD in regards to their discipline and I have full confidence with the association to handle the incident appropriately.”

The local National Federation of State High School Associations video feed captured the moments the altercation began as a Calvin player dribbled down the court and was fouled late in the fourth quarter.

As one of the game officials was signaling the infraction to the scorer’s table, two players – one from Calvin and the other from Leflore – were standing face to face during a disagreement. Another player from Leflore rushed in and shoved the Calvin player, leading to a full-on clash between the two teams, which prompted fans to pour onto the floor.

Multiple players are seen falling to the floor as punches are thrown, with fans increasingly filling the court. Law enforcement in attendance also rushed onto the floor in an attempt to separate multiple people and deescalate the situation.

Once separated, players were ushered to their benches and locker rooms, and fans were escorted off the playing surface.

Graham said some of the Calvin players involved in the melee were injured. “Calvin athletes did receive injuries as a result of the incident,” he said.

Calvin officially won the contest 66-36 and advanced to play Buffalo Valley Saturday night in the newlymoved district finals at Wilburton.