rulesguru1

NFHS 10-8 a. Players on the court: (1) Corresponding number from each team – double flagrant fouls, all participants are disqualified, no free throws are awarded, ball is put in play at the point of interruption. (2) Numbers of participants are not corresponding – Flagrant fouls and disqualification for all participants, two free throws are awarded for the offended team for each additional player, offended team awarded a division line throw in. b. Bench personnel leaving the team bench during a fight or when a fight may break out: (1) Do NOT participate in the fight – nonparticipants are assessed flagrant fouls and disqualified. The head coach is assessed a maximum of one indirect technical foul (regardless of the number leaving the bench). If the number leaving the bench for each team is corresponding, no free throws are awarded, and the ball is put in play at the point of interruption. If the number leaving the bench for each team is unequal, a maximum of two free throws are awarded the offended team, followed by a division line throw-in opposite the table. (2) Participate in the fight – all participants are assessed flagrant fouls and disqualified. The head coach is assessed one indirect technical foul for each person leaving the bench and participating in the fight. If the number leaving the bench for each team is corresponding, no free throws are awarded, and the ball is put in play at the point of interruption. If the number leaving the bench for each team is unequal, two free throws are awarded the offended team for each additional person leaving the bench, followed by a division line throw-in opposite the table.”

The reference to celebrations during timeouts show that you don’t know that there is a specific rule in the NFHS manual for this situation. During a fight or altercation, players leaving the bench whether they are participants or nonparticipants are assessed a flagrant technical foul and ejected. Since both benches cleared, everyone who was bench personnel was then disqualified from the contest. I would assume there were not enough players already on the floor (the original ten out there) who did not participate to continue the game, as someone above in the thread posted the tweet that said that there were only two players that were not assessed flagrant technicals. The officials don’t have much discretion when chaos ensues and everyone is on the floor. I applaud them, the cops, and the staff for getting it handled and keeping it from further escalating.