Many of us enjoy sports for the fierce rivalries. Recently though, a local sports rivalry has gotten out of hand. Our Christian Farrell has more on what's being done to curb the violence between two schools slated to meet again this week.

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NEWBURGH, N.Y. - High school basketball games are suppose to end with handshakes. Not a scene like this. This is last month's Newburgh-Kingston girls basketball game. The game was called after this brawl.

Last year a boys game between the two schools ends the same way. Kingston police stop an on-court fight between players and fans. The fierce rivalry resumes next week when both schools boys and girls teams play each other. However, Newburgh Athletic Director Jack Mager said he's confident this ugliness is about to end.

"I think we're ready. I know obviously we're going to be on a heightened state of alert as is Kingston. But again I feel the game will be decided on the floor. And we're ready to play," said Mager.

Metal detectors are the norm for Newburgh basketball games. Empty bleachers are not.
But emptying a gym of its fans is a strategy schools have used before to resolve a rivalry gone wild. It's a scenario though that won't play out in Newburgh next week.

"Unless there had been discussion at the section level, which I don't believe there was, there was no thought to keeping the crowd closed," said Mager.

Security at a Newburgh boys basketball game typically consists of about a dozen school security officers and four City of Newburgh cops.

School and police officials aren't saying what manpower changes there might be for next Wednesday's boys game at Newburgh.

"We allow the school to run the basketball game. And our officers are only there if a problem is to come about," said Newburgh Detective Lieutenant Bruce Campbell.

In the opinion of one fan, the best way to keep things under control when its Kingston versus Newburgh is simple, blow the whistle.

"The referees control the game. If they don't let things get out of hand then the game won't get out of hand, and the crowd won't get out of hand," said Newburgh Resident Ron Smith.