Bishop Loughlin Wrestles with Shooting

The Jan. 14 shooting that left five teenagers with gunshot wounds has put the atmosphere of basketball games at Bishop Loughlin High School in the spotlight, and has administrators considering more stringent security measures at the events.

Before the hail of bullets on Greene Avenue two weeks ago, the rivalry between the Bishop Louhglin Lions and Christ The King was known mainly for highlights on the court and fervent fans in the stands.

But that has all changed, now that after another hard-fought battle between the two elite high school basketball programs.

“Unfortunately, highly competitive basketball teams attract a demographic of the street that’s not interested in the game,” said the principal of Bishop Loughlin, James Dorney. “They’re interested in the social atmosphere.”

Neither the victims nor the attended Bishop Loughlin, according to school officials. Upson wasn't even at the game, they said.

But the game was nonetheless the reason Upson was near the school; it is rumored that he knew .

As a result of the incident, Bishop Loughlin is reexamining how to better control the hostilities that naturally arise in a hyper-competitive environment like a basketball game.

One such solution is to close off future games to outsiders, something that is already done at high profile matchups between public schools.

“Prior to this, anyone would be welcome at the game, but I think moving forward we’ll try to limit our games to just students from the schools,” said Nicole Maxwell, a Dean of Students at Bishop Loughlin.

That means that access will be limited to contests between two of the most storied programs in the New York Catholic High School Atheletic Association.

Yearly matchups between Bishop Loughlin and Christ the King are widely anticipated, and consistently reach capacity crowds.

In the 2010 league championship game, Christ the King defeated Loughlin after a triple-overtime classic. Christ the King went on to win the New York State Championships.

This season Christ the King is again a top-ranked team, but after losing most of its starters.

But that didn’t deter the crowd during this month’s showdown. By tip-off the school had begun to turn away late spectators because it had reached its 600-person capacity.

Upson likely waited outside the gym until people began spilling out into the street at around 10 p.m. following the game, according to school officials. Then he allegedly made his move.

While up to a dozen police officers can be present at high profile public school basketball games, security is minimal for games in Bishop Loughlin's league.

At the Jan. 14 game, for instance, just one officer from the was present.

But Bishop Loughlin administrators cautioned that a beefed up security detail inside the gym would have done little to prevent the violence that took place after the game.

“I think it’s just the nature of these high school games," said Maxwell. "Kids just like to come here to hang out.”