Boys basketball: Tempers flare late in Tantasqua's loss to Fitchburg on Monday.
Four players - two from each team - were ejected as a result of a brawl in the fourth quarter of Monday's Central Massachusetts Division I boys basketball tournament game between Fitchburg and Tantasqua Regional of Fiskdale.
According to the Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise, tempers flared when Fitchburg's Eli Jackson and Tantasqua's Corey Gatta locked arms while vying for a rebound with 5:36 left in the fourth quarter. Gatta was thrown to the floor, and pushing and shoving ensued when he got up.
The fight continued in close proximity to the Fitchburg cheering section, but three referees and Fitchburg officials succeeded in breaking up the fracas. Fitchburg went on to secure a 75-64 victory.
Jackson and teammate Jose Hernandez will serve a mandatory one-game suspension for being ejected. Gatta and Windell Westbrook were tossed from the game for Tantasqua.
