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A fight broke out in the stands during the fourth quarter of the Division 2 boys basketball district final game between Detroit Edison and Detroit University Prep on Friday, Feb 27, at Edison High School.
The fight began halfway up the Edison bleachers opposite of the team bench with 2:24 left in the fourth quarter. One Edison player ran toward the stands trying to get involved, but was pulled back by a teammate and pulled off the court by coach Brandon Neely.
The fight between fans continued to escalate, eventually spilling onto the middle of Edison's basketball court.
A fight broke out in the stands. One Edison players tried to join. Game is paused
— Jared Ramsey (@jared_ramsey22) February 28, 2026
UPrep up 58-47 with 2:24 left pic.twitter.com/RIl30ZsKSZ
It escalated onto the court https://t.co/F5UcjA7Ffjpic.twitter.com/llBGZM4os9
— Jared Ramsey (@jared_ramsey22) February 28, 2026
School officials, security, parents and members of both teams' coaching staffs rushed in to try and stop the fight. The fight, which started at 8:22 p.m., lasted for a few minutes. Eventually, fans involved were escorted outside by security.
"An altercation occurred in the stands," Detroit Edison principal Julius Blackburn told the Free Press. "I am not at liberty to discuss anymore because it is an ongoing investigation."
Detroit Police arrived at Edison High School approximately 10 minutes after the fight started. Along with school officials and security on-site, they continued to remove fans from the stands over the next 20 minutes. Police on-site declined to speak with the Free Press.
The DPD did not respond to an email or a phone call requesting comment by the time of publishing.
After 30 minutes passed, the game resumed with a shrunken audience in the gym. UPrep (14-9) held on to knock off Edison (16-8), 66-57. Edison finished the game two players short for taking a step into the bleachers during the altercation.
"It was a really good game until that happened," UPrep coach Brandon Barrett said.
The fight happened in the middle of the play, making it tough for players and coaches to know how it started. Trash talking seemed to elevate into physical blows between UPrep and Edison fans sitting side-by-side.
"I looked over in the stands and saw a lot of commotion," Neely said. "I saw no details at all, don't know what happened. One of my players said his dad said a kid just swung on him. I don't know if they were going back and forth with verbiage or what caused it."
The brawl marred what was turning into a fantastic finish between two highly competitive Division 2 teams hoping to make a deep tournament run. UPrep surged ahead early on the back of senior guard Maurice "Mo" Jackson, but Edison clawed back to take a five-point deficit into halftime.
Jackson caught fire in the third quarter, going on a personal 8-0 run to help UPrep push the lead out to as much as 19 points. Three-quarters of his 24 points – 18 – came on six made 3-pointers.
"I'm going to keep shooting," Jackson said. "When I get hot, I really don't miss. I got the green light from my coaches and my teammates. They trust me, so why not keep shooting?"
Edison cut the lead to six points with a big run early in the fourth quarter. Junior Edgar Hubbard, who was one of the players ejected for going into the stands and pulling his teammate away from fighting, led the comeback attempt. The Pioneers had some momentum before the squabble stopped it.
"He is a hell of a kid and leader," Neely said.
University Prep advances to the regional semifinals Tuesday against Harper Woods Chandler Park, which beat Detroit Denby, 53-48. The regional semifinals will be played at 7 p.m. at Eastpointe High School.
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Fan brawl disrupts Detroit Edison-UPrep boys basketball district final