Pawhuska parent CJ Malaske and the Hominy coaches exchange words after an alleged altercation following the game Feb. 12. Photo by Jack Buzbee
A second girls’ Hominy basketball game ended in a physical altercation on Tuesday, but it wasn’t just the players this time. One Pawhuska parent came onto the floor before getting into a verbal tiff with the Hominy coaches after the girls’ game in Pawhuska on Feb. 12.
Both teams are pointing fingers at one another for the fight that left Hominy’s Morgan Kidder (No. 15) and an Pawhuska’s Haley Malaske (No. 5), involved in accusations of thrown elbows from Pawhuska and hair pulling from Hominy.
The game was over, ending in a 46-40 victory for Hominy, and the referees had left the court when the fight broke out according to witnesses.
But the unpleasant exchanges didn’t stop there. After Malaske’s father, CJ, made his way onto the court – or stormed, depending on which side you talk to – more finger-pointing occurred. Pawhuska fans say he was defending his daughter. Hominy fans say he was cursing loudly and attempting to approach Kidder before coaches got involved.
“… he wasn’t trying to get the Hominy girl. He was trying to get to his daughter, she was pulled down to the ground by her ponytail. Ridiculous!” Stacy Kirk wrote on Facebook.
Fans from both teams are also reporting that there was a fight about the game between two adult women in the parking lot following the girls’ game, but it is not certain if it was only verbal or physical. No police report was filed for either Tuesday night incident.
The lackluster adult behavior continued on both sides during and after the game. “I will say one Hominy parent was yelling really loud,” Vicki King said. King is the mother of a senior Hominy player and was at the Pawhuska game. “I just try to block out all parents,” she added. “We’re not perfect. I have learned I just have to block it out, all the parents yelling and screaming.”
Even though King’s daughter has Pawhuska friends, she didn’t get a warm greeting from everyone that Tuesday. King’s daughter told her that when she went to say hello to one of her Pawhuska friends after the game that an adult Huskies fan called her “white trash” and referred to the team as “little hominy b*!@#es.”
“She said that to my daughter who hadn’t done anything besides play a game,” King said. From then on King said she didn’t feel comfortable having her daughter there for the boys’ game, or even letting her go to the concession stands alone. “I didn’t think she was safe,” King said. “We weren’t letting our girls go anywhere.”
According to King on Friday, Kidder wasn’t starting during Friday night’s district game against Caney Valley in Tonkawa, and she would be sitting out part of the game, although King is not sure how much of the game.
Hominy Head Coach Michael Nordquist referred The Bigheart Times to Athletic Director Scott Harmon on any disciplinary action taken from the Pawhuska game. Harmon told the Times the issue had been handled “in house” before hanging up or possibly being disconnected. When the Times called back to verify King’s information Harmon informed the Times he was “going to be real honest” that it was wasting his time and he was in class, and he had in fact hung up the phone. “What did you want me to say? Goodbye?” He asked. Harmon went on to say that the Times was biased, often portraying Hominy in bad light and favoring Barnsdall and Pawhuska. He did not confirm or deny King’s alleged disciplinary action.
Pawhuska’s player did not start in the district game against Beggs Saturday night and sat for most of the first half, according to Head Coach Austin Minshall. “Whether or not Hominy did it… It was something we wanted to make a point with,” he said. Minshall referred to Athletic Director Joel Witcher on why this disciplinary action was taken, as well as talks with the OSSAA. Witcher did not return phone calls by deadline Tuesday.
The fight in Pawhuska wasn’t Hominy’s first dramatic altercation with another team this year. They also had a run in with the Barnsdall Panthers late last month during a game in Barnsdall that resulted in two players being ejected from the game. This time Hominy’s No. 10, listed as Macy McIntire on the roster, and Barnsdall’s Alyssa Babb (No. 10) were in a scuffle that reportedly involved punches being thrown.
Again, both teams point at the other for starting the fight.
No report was filed by the Barnsdall police department. The department prefers to report issues to the school and allow the school to handle disciplinary action, according to Chief Shane Davis. Barnsdall schools are closed on Friday. Both Babb and McIntire were removed from the game and suspended for one game.
“It’s not being started by our players… Our girls didn’t instigate that. They just responded to what happened,” King said about both Hominy fights. “We have a good group of girls.” King admitted the games got physical, and said she wished the referees had brought them under control before they escalated. “If they are going to wait for blood, it’s going to escalate,” King said. “I just don’t want Hominy blamed for it all.”
The argument about whom is to blame has hit Facebook. Many people posting comments about the game are making general attacks on whole towns and schools, battling online about which town and school are devoid of class. Others are attempting to defend friends, family and their alma maters.
“Basketball is a contact sport. Youre going to het elbowed, fouled, tripped, ect. both teams are striving for one goal & thats to win, you can not take everything personal. If you can’t take the heat don’t play the game simple as that,” Jayden Drummond wrote. Drummond identified herself as a former Huskie.
Hominy’s Erin Krushe, one of the basketball players, replied: “There is a difference in whether it’s during the game or not though. I can take getting elbowed in the game but if someone does it after the game is over most would get mad and do something back. Which is what happened.”
“It amazes me how some Pawhuska people think they know what really happened,” Christa Fulkerson wrote. “Your Pawhuska player came up and hit my daughter first – it’s on the video recorder. They were both wrong to strike each other no matter what happened and they both got equal punishment – case closed!”
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The Bigheart Times is a weekly newspaper based out of Barnsdall, Okla. We cover the great Osage County, home to the Osage Nation, rural communities, and many cowboys and ranchers. As one of the largest and still growing publications in Osage County our goal is to provide fair and accurate information to the public as quickly as possible.
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Things similar to these incidents are going to happen….though most usually they are expected to be seen in pro ball, not in high school! I, myself, have taught my children not to instigate but to defend themselves only after they had been accosted first, but never in, or because of, a GAME! And that is exactly what it is—–A GAME!!! I also raised my kids that academics is far more important than athletics. After all, where in these small rural towns, will athletics take you? NO WHERE!!!! You are not going to be asked to play for professional teams and only if you are a SUPERSTAR will you be offered a scholarship for college! If it’s only for the bragging rights, fighting is nothing to brag about—-for children or parents!
So, in my opinion, shame on all of you that were involved! You should all be grounded, children as well as adults, for acting like 4 year olds!!!