A high school basketball team's worries about the eligibility of three African players on a rival squad may have been all for naught -- at least judging by the final score.
Hinckley Big-Rock High School raised questions about a program that brought the Sudanese players to Batavia's Mooseheart school, but on Tuesday, a judge ruled the teens could play on the basketball team until the Illinois High School Association hears arguments on the eligibility issue.
The controversy added a great deal of intrigue to Wednesday night's game between the two schools, with Hinckley outlasting Mooseheart 58-51.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, many spectators had to be turned away from the game after Mooseheart's gym reached its 1,500-person capacity an hour before the game started. Police were on hand to keep things in line after the rejected spectators became angry, the newspaper reported.
Mooseheart is accused of violating its bylaws by recruiting the teens specifically for their athletic ability, a charge school officials deny.
The full IHSA board will hear the case next Monday in Bloomington.
