(12-31-22) A Massachusetts Boys High School basketball game was stopped this week after a South Boston Excel player blind-sided the official during a game with Cohasset High School.

The 16-year-old player from Excel High School in South Boston, whose name has not been made public due to his age, has been charged with assault and battery.

Excel was losing to Cohasset 32-8 at the time of the incident…the game was stopped immediately.

High school basketball player charged for punching referee

WCVB You Tube Video

Several statements were made after the incident—

Massachusetts State Basketball Officials Association (MSBOA)

“The shortage of officials, both in our state and nationwide, has been well documented. And while there may be a myriad of reasons for the crisis, the abhorrent treatment of officials by fans, coaches and players is at the top of the list. And while the majority of stakeholders in high school sports do not fall into that category, the sad reality is that incidents like this continue to occur. We call on the local authorities, Boston Public Schools and the MIAA to take swift action that includes appropriate punishment for anyone sharing in the responsibility for this dangerous attack. It is not up to us to determine what those sanctions look like, but we are positive that they must be commensurate with the sheer and unprovoked violence of the act…Unfortunately, the displeasure and outright anger directed at officials has risen to a completely unacceptable level, which can result in an attack like the one in Cohasset. That is wrong and must be addressed.”

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