BREAKING NEWS: Washington has clinched at least a tie for the Pac-10 basketball championship with an 83-78 victory over Arizona. Details to come.

It was a pretty close game all the way through, but the Huskies stayed ahead at the end with good free throw shooting, making up for missed shots in the first half.

The No. 21 ranked Huskies defeated Arizona State in a big game on Thursday night. With the win over Arizona, the Huskies have improved their record to 22-7.

The Huskies have one league game left… they will square off against WSU at Hec Ed on March 7th (2:30 PM). They’ll also take on Seattle University on March 3rd, also at Hec Ed. (Kind of nice to have those last four games at home!)

In a matter of seconds, Friday night’s KingCo 4A Crest Division boys basketball game between Redmond and fourth-ranked Garfield turned sour.

In a bizarre scene, a Redmond High School senior charged out of the stands and punched Garfield player De’Andre Taylor in the face, spurring punches from both sides as the two teams and fans had to be separated.

The Redmond student who threw the punch reacted to a collision and verbal exchange between Taylor and Redmond player Max Wisman in a game where opposing fans traded derisive chants. Referees had stopped the action to separate the two players when the student ran onto the floor.

The Garfield bench emptied and eight Bulldogs were ejected by referees for leaving the bench area and coming onto the floor in the mayhem. With Garfield leading 50-33, the game was suspended with 5:26 remaining.

I wasn’t at the game last night, but when I read accounts of the brawl in this morning’s P-I and Times, I was appalled. I’m sure I’m not the only Redmond alumnus who feels ashamed that this happened on our home court. That any Redmond student would surrender their self control and assault a player from an opposing team is embarrassing to both RHS and the people of the City of Redmond. It’s beyond disrespectful.

Whatever happened to Honoring the Game?

I hope the Redmond senior responsible for instigating the brawl is creatively punished. Perhaps he or she should be sent over to Garfield to do community service there.

Knowing the administration at the Redmond High, they’ll think of something appropriate.