St. Thomas More to state, WIAA could update bylaws after decision
St. Thomas More to state, WIAA could update bylaws after decision
St. Thomas More High School's varsity basketball team is heading to state after winning their lawsuit against the WIAA and their game against Brown Deer. The WIAA sent out a letter Monday to member schools in light of last week's decision to allow Thomas More to play.
MILWAUKEE - St. Thomas More High School's varsity basketball team is heading to state after winning their lawsuit against the WIAA and their game against Brown Deer.
The St. Thomas More High School varsity basketball team beat Brown Deer High School 83-76 Thursday night, March 10 after St. Thomas More appealed its WIAA suspension, and a judge ruled they could play. As the top seed, the Cavaliers came to Brown Deer, withstood a 9-0 Falcons run and won.
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On Wednesday, a judge granted a temporary restraining order to stop the WIAA from advancing the bracket until Thomas More played Brown Deer High School again Thursday night. Thomas More took the WIAA to court for suspending their varsity team after a fight at the end of a win against Fuller Collegiate Academy emptied the bench Friday night, March 4. That's against the rules, and even players who were not at the game were suspended.
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Thomas More basketball players huddle prior to court appearance
Saturday, St. Thomas More chose to forfeit instead of calling up JV players in the regional title against Brown Deer. Wednesday, after the school sued the WIAA, a judge reinstated the team, ordering Thursday's game to be played.
In the meantime, there’s debate on whether the rule regarding the clearing of the bench applies to players already on the court and those not even at the game.
The WIAA sent out a letter Monday, March 14 asking for peace, saying, in part: "While it's unfortunate that this issue may cause some to question the integrity of this year's boys' basketball state tournament, we ask that all member schools do what they can to support the student-athletes participating."
The state basketball tournament begins Thursday, March 17.