Providence player has to sit for involvement in brawl

The Providence High boys’ basketball team will be without one of its starters for Tuesday’s CIF Southern Section Division IV-A second-round playoff game because of the athlete’s involvement in a fight Friday night at the end of the team’s first-round game against New Roads, Providence Athletic Director Andrew Bencze said.

Sophomore Jonathan Ly has been suspended for the Pioneers’ next game. The team will take on the winner of Monday’s first-round contest between No. 9 Lancaster Baptist and No. 8 Shalhevet.

Providence is seeded first in the division.

“If the CIF didn’t hold Jonathan out we would have,” Bencze said. “We think [the suspension] is appropriate.”

Bencze said CIF officials took action after reviewing tapes of the game against New Roads.

“I talked to CIF [Monday morning] and the president of the association that governs the officials looked at the tape … and it was obvious by that the New Roads side was completely out of control,” Bencze said.”

The disciplinary action stems from Friday night’s playoff game Providence and New Roads that was halted with 2:09 remaining in the fourth quarter when a fight between players escalated with fans and coaches pouring on to the court and becoming involved in the fracas.

When order could not be restored, the officials called the game and Providence was credited with a 57-43 victory.

However, things got out of control late in the fourth when Providence’s Ly committed a hard foul and became involved in a fight with a New Roads player.

Ly averages just less than six points a game for the Pioneers (24-4).