Tech-Cape players come together to help community following on-court incident

GEORGETOWN, Del. – Players from the Sussex Tech and Cape Henlopen boys basketball teams came together Saturday as part of their response to the benches-clearing fight on the court Thursday night, that resulted in the ejection of all but six players.

Thursday’s game ended with only one player on the court for Cape Henlopen High School and two for Sussex Tech, which won 63-62.

Cape Henlopen was leading 39-27 late in the third quarter when the fight broke out. Players from both benches rushed onto the court, and most were thrown out of the game. The teams played the final 12 minutes with only three players each, but two Cape players and one Sussex Tech player fouled out.

Cape Henlopen School District Superintendent Robert Fulton and Sussex Technical School District Superintendent Stephen Guthrie issued the following statement Saturday:

“Cape Henlopen and Sussex Tech have been working together to address the unfortunate incident at Thursday’s varsity basketball game. What happened does not represent the shared values of either school district, and we are taking these matters very seriously. Our student-athletes are competitors on the court, but also friends and neighbors in our Sussex County community.

“Today, students from both teams took a strong first step forward in mending those friendships and recalling the spirit of sportsmanship that drives all our athletic pursuits. Members of the Vikings and Ravens joined together to volunteer at Faith United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in Rehoboth Beach, packaging and distributing soup to Sussex County families. This united effort working to help serve our neighbors is a reminder that there are things more important than a game, and that actions have real impact. Whether we wear gold and blue or black and silver, we are all Sussex.”

The two schools will not meet again this season. Sussex Tech swept the two-game season series.