Lorain High School basketball game cut short by on-court brawl

LORAIN – Just when it looked like Lorain was going to win its third game of the year, a series of events forced the game's cancellation after a brawl broke out on the floor at Lorain High School on Saturday afternoon in a make-up non-conference game against Toledo Rogers High School. With 42 seconds left in the third period and Lorain leading 51-36, a foul was called on Toledo and, after some complaining to the official about the call, a technical foul was assessed to the Rams. Both teams started yelling at each other in front of the Rogers bench and after a shove to the face by one of the players, a full-on fight started between the two teams. Eventually, fans left the stands and went on to the court. Lorain police, resource officers and coaches from both teams restored order after a few minutes and players were sent to their respective locker rooms while game officials worked with Lorain Athletic Director Bryan Koury to dissect what had happened. "This was obviously a very unfortunate incident, I will not have absolute clarity on the situation until I get an opportunity to review the film," Koury said. Lorain police, who were working as hired security for the game, arrested a spectator, Jay'l Diaz, 18, of Lorain, who interjected himself in the altercation between the players on the court, according to a news release from Lorain police. Diaz is a senior at Lorain High School. Diaz was charged with disorderly conduct and assault, both misdemeanors. The incident remains under investigation and additional charges may be forthcoming, according to police. "The Lorain police department would like to emphasize the importance of maintaining safety and decorum at public events," Capt. Jacob Morris said in the release. "While we understand the passion that high school sporting events often bring, entering the competition area during a game, especially during a confrontation, puts the public, staff and players at an increased risk of harm. Such actions will not be tolerated." While there was a game going on, the Titans were in great shape to pick up a win over the Rams leading from the opening tip until the game came to an unfortunate end. Lorain's zone defense gave Rogers fits out of the gate as they hit just 2 of 10 in the first period and only 1 of 10 from behind the 3-point arc in the half. Jaylen Jackson and Jeramiah Daniels led Lorain in the first period and Jackson scored six of his 16 points and Daniel scored five and finished with nine, including a 3-pointer. The Titans lead ballooned to 30-18 on a Javell Morris (15 points) 3-pointer with just under three minutes left. Lorain maintained the lead through the third period, getting eight more points from Morris and five from Kane Taliano who finished with nine points. The Titans will have to wait until next week to find out if the game will be declared official or possibly a no-contest by the OHSAA along with any suspensions handed down because of the altercation. Contact James Brady at jbrady_ct@yahoo.com. Reporter Carissa Woytach contributed to this story.