LeBron James-inspired fan stunt leads to mid-game relocation to rival’s court
The fans claimed they were just trying to imitate LeBron James. Little did they know that their well-meaning stunt would cost their team a home court advantage (and contribute to a loss), in mid-game at that.
As reported by the Sacramento Bee and a handful of other Northern California outlets, a Sierra Foothill League basketball game between Woodcreek (Cal.) High and rival Roseville (Cal.) High was moved from Woodcreek to Roseville at halftime after referees determined conditions in the Woodcreek gym were unsafe because of a massive baby powder build up thanks to a student fan stunt orchestrated by the school’s “Black Mob” support group.
The stunt? Tossing baby powder in the air a’la LeBron James before tip off.
According to the Bee, the en masse baby powder toss up, which you can see video of above, ballooned to a point where the game officials had no choice but to delay the start of the game. Then, after mopping up the powder the game was delayed multiple times because of a slippery floor.
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The entire mess was finally deemed to be too much to deal with, with the officials moving the game to Roseville’s home floor. The switch in venue appeared to play a role in the outcome as well, with the Roseville Tigers pulling out an 87-71 victory after the game was relocated.
The win was huge for Roseville as it kept the Tigers in the Foothill League title hunt, where they are tied for second place with a record of 4-3 (and 19-5 overall). The loss dropped Woodcreek to 3-4 in league play (12-12), a major setback for the team’s postseason hopes.
There has been no official penalty for the Black Mob members, nor for the Woodville team (that certainly seems fair; after all, it was hardly the team’s fault that the fans acted out). It’s unknown if the Black Mob will try to duplicate the stunt in the future, though one would hope that the first results would discourage such an attempt.
At this point, any playoff hopes for Woodcreek might even depend on it.
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