Referee Collapses, Passes Away During Indiana High School Basketball Game

Official was working game at Monrovia High School vs. Speedway

SBLive

An official has passed away after collapsing during an Indiana high school basketball game Friday night.

The referee was working the girls game between Monrovia High School and Speedway High School when he collapsed during the second quarter.

According to a report by WishTV.com, he passed away after being taken from the high school gym. Monrovia athletic director Jon Regashus was not advised to share the name of the referee until the county coroner could contact the next of kin, but he did note that he knew the referee for at least 20 years and had previously worked with him while serving as an official.

Incident Happened Early In First Half

The referee collapsed with just over six minutes to play before halftime. Monrovia was leading, 23-13, and the game is expected to be picked up and resumed at a later date.

“I feel awful for his family, the officiating community and all of his friends,” Regashus told the Indy Star. “I would commend everybody here from Monrovia and Speedway for the way they handled everything and followed protocols and directions. The trainers and emergency workers were amazing.

“They did everything they could.”

Trainers, Emergency Workers Arrived Quickly On Scene

Trainers from both schools helped to try and assist the referee before emergency medical technicians arrived and performed life-saving procedures.

Monrovia also has a game scheduled for Saturday with Tri-West High School, but Regashus said that will also be postponed and rescheduled.

The town of Monrovia is located roughly 30 minutes from Indianapolis.

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