WATONGA – A Watonga player had to be restrained during a verbal argument with Merritt fans on Saturday in Fairview, the latest in a string of ugly encounters on Oklahoma high school basketball courts.
The argument led to allegations of racism from Watonga officials, while Merritt fans accused the Eagles of poor sportsmanship and denied saying anything racist.
The atmosphere was intense inside the Fairview arena Saturday night, as fans from both schools packed the loud dome to see No. 8 Watonga take on the 14-8 Oilers. The night did not go as planned for the favored Eagles, leading to emotional scenes as early as the first half.
In the second quarter, Eagles star Deondre Dunn was assessed a technical foul. Frustrated, he walked past the Watonga bench and into its locker room, audibly hitting doors and lockers on his way back. Merritt fans called for a double-technical that never came, and Dunn returned to the game a few minutes later.
Watonga was down only a few points at the time, but Merritt’s lead ballooned in the second quarter. Watonga spent the second half trying to claw its way back into the game, but Merritt was able to keep the Eagles at arm’s length by answering Watonga’s offense and making its free throws when Watonga fouled.
With just minutes to go, Eagles forward Laron Whiteshield picked up his fifth foul and had to be removed from the game. Frustrated and knowing the team’s fate, Whiteshield moved away from his teammates to the end of the Watonga bench; Merritt’s fans were sitting behind the benches Saturday.
Tiffani Gallagher, wife of Watonga head coach Brandon Gallagher, moved and sat next to Whiteshield.
With about 30 seconds left in the ballgame, Merritt was assessed a foul. A man standing rows behind Whiteshield called out to officials in disagreement.
Whiteshield can be seen in broadcast game footage turning around and saying something to the man before turning back to the court. The man, who later contacted the Watonga Republican and said his name is Nathan, claims Whiteshield swore at him.
Broadcast game footage shows Nathan saying something back to Whiteshield, who then stands up abruptly and turns around as the footage moves to the other side of the court.
All parties agree that Nathan told Whiteshield not to look at him “like that” anymore. “I told him not to be looking up here and saying (stuff) like that again,” Nathan said.
Whiteshield quoted Nathan as saying, “Don’t your sorry ass look at me like that again.”
Whiteshield and Tiffani Gallagher also agree that a racist slur was used against Whiteshield during the argument. However, Nathan and two other Merritt fans, Jonathan Garrett and Ashley Hollis, contacted the Watonga Republican on Sunday and denied that anyone had used a slur to Whiteshield, though they said Whiteshield was using the slur while addressing Nathan.
“They (Watonga players) were throwing around the word … like it was ice cream on a Sunday afternoon,” Hollis said.
“There was wrong things done by both teams,” Garrett said, but he didn’t hear a slur from the fans. “I was right there.”
A third Merritt fan who contacted the Republican criticized Nathan’s behavior but said he couldn’t hear the exchange. Gallagher said Sunday that she heard the slur “clearly.”
Whiteshield was restrained by Gallagher and then by Watonga assistant coach Byron Cole, who forcibly removed Whiteshield to the Watonga locker room. Some Merritt fans also tried to restrain Nathan during the argument, observers said. The Watonga and Merritt superintendents, and other officials, soon arrived at the bench.
Watonga Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran requested the Merritt fans be removed; they moved up to the second level of seating at the direction of an on-site security official.
Garrett recalls Hilterbran telling Merritt officials, “Your fans have been doing this all night.”
The Eagles and Oilers finished the last 30 seconds of the game and shook hands, with Merritt coming out victorious by a 75-62 score. Whiteshield was able to leave the arena with his teammates with no further incident.
Cole was visibly shaken after the game and was consoled by friends and family. Hilterbran told a Watonga Republican reporter on the court that the Merritt fan had used a slur against Whiteshield.
Despite the denials, Hilterbran stood by his description the next day. He eventually posted a public statement condemning the fan’s words and behavior.
“Watonga Public Schools does not condone the derogatory and racial language used by the Merritt fan towards our student athlete,” Hilterbran said. “This type of behavior is not acceptable. Adult spectators in the stands are there to cheer on their team and not be verbally or physically threatening to children on the court.”
Hilterbran said the incident has been reported to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, or OSSAA, the governing body of Oklahoma high school sports.
“The safety of our children will always be Watonga Public Schools number one priority,” Hilterbran said.
In a statement, Cole said he is “upset and embarrassed that we still have issues like this in sports and life.”
“Anytime an adult talks to a child like that, it’s painful,” Cole said. “Using racial slurs aren’t called for at any time. My job here is to prepare these young men for life after school, and unfortunately, this is a tough one to teach. I’m thankful to our administration for stepping in and protecting the team and I hope this doesn’t take from a great season.”
The OSSAA and Merritt Public Schools did not respond to Watonga Republican emails seeking comment about the argument.
Two days after the incident, the Eagles returned to Fairview looking to keep their season alive. They defeated Cordell comfortably and then advanced over Fairview on a last-second 3-pointer on Tuesday, ending the Regional on a high note after a difficult Saturday.