17 players ejected from game between New Britain and Bloomfield on Friday

Seventeen high school boys basketball players were ejected from a game Friday night between Bloomfield and New Britain after a fight broke out during a varsity game at New Britain.

Three players on the court were involved in the altercation, said Ed Lynch, the commissioner of the IAABO Board 6, and 14 more came off the benches of both teams. All 17 were ejected.

“If the bench players come out on the court, it’s an automatic ejection,” Lynch said.

Bloomfield coach Brooks Sales, after he had reviewed his school’s videotape of the game, said that a New Britain player tackled a Bloomfield player near the baseline early in the third quarter. Sales confirmed two Bloomfield players and one New Britain player who were on the court were ejected.

It was unclear what happened prior to the altercation.

Four players were left from each team to finish the game, Sales said, and after one of his players fouled out in the four the quarter, Bloomfield only had three players in a game won by Bloomfield, 71-62.

“Both benches kind of jumped up to run on the floor to stop what was going on,” Sales said. “Nobody came out with the intentions of fighting, but the rules are the rules.

“It ended pretty quick. The refs did a good job controlling the game and making the right decisions. I’m just happy the fans stayed in place and it was over in like 20 seconds.”

Per CIAC rules, all the ejected players must sit out one game. The rule reads: “When an athlete is ejected from any CIAC contest the athlete is ineligible to participate in the next contest at the same level of play (even if the next contest does not occur until league or CIAC tournament play or next year). If one or more different level contests are scheduled prior to the next contest at the same level of play, the athlete shall be ineligible to participate in the next (but no more than one) contest at each level of play.”

Bloomfield (9-2), which won the Division IV state championship last year, is scheduled to travel to East Hartford Monday. New Britain (5-6) is slated to play at Newington Tuesday.

Sales said he was under the impression that only the players on the court who were ejected would miss the next game, not the bench players who went onto the court.

“As of right now, the refs made it seem like it was just going to be those three that were going to have a next game penalty,” he said. “But we’re waiting on a final decision.”

If that’s the case, Sales said, Bloomfield will only have four players to play Monday.

“Whatever they dish out, we got to live with,” he said.

Attempts to reach New Britain officials were unsuccessful.

On Jan. 17, a fight broke out between fans and players before the handshake line after a boys basketball game between Weaver and Middletown at Middletown High, which Middletown won, 73-56. Middletown postponed home athletic events on Jan. 18 out of concern about a rumor of retaliation which was proven to be unfounded by police.