Andover High Basketball Wins Season Opener After Hazing Incident
ANDOVER (CBS) - Tuesday night was not a normal first game of the season at Andover High School.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports
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The varsity basketball team was forced to play without several of its members in the wake of a far-reaching hazing scandal that came to light late last month.
Two players have been expelled and five others suspended for their roles in allegedly forcing a pair of freshmen to participate in a humiliating sexual game at a basketball training camp last summer.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong reports
Andover resident Mark Swencki's nephew is a sophomore on the varsity team.
He says his nephew "hasn't said too much about" the scandal because, like his fellow teammates, he is "just trying to move on."
Swencki said the team was "a little nervous" going into tonight's game, based on all the negative attention the school and team have received over the past few weeks.
Andover school officials had been concerned that fans of rival Methuen High School would use the hazing controversy to make matters worse by taunting or trash-talking during the game.
That's something most fans weren't worried about.
"I think the Methuen kids are very mature and they're prepared for this," said Andover resident Susan Browne who came to see tonight's game.
Just to be safe, though, Methuen's principal and athletic director opted to keep a close eye on their students. They accompanied the team to the Andover game. That was a move Andover's principal appreciated as a show of support - but it is also one he tells WBZ is highly unusual to say the least.
There were no incidents of taunting during the game in which Andover won, 63-49.
