An intense high school basketball match-up between Mount Lebanon and Upper Saint Clair has created an intense accusation.

Moments after a basketball game between the two schools on Friday, students from Mount Lebanon stormed the court in Upper Saint Clair.

But according to Mount Lebanon senior Joseph Rodella Jr., Upper Saint Clair's principal blindsided him with a punch to the head.

"He went to the ground," said Rodella's attorney, William Difenderfer. "He got up and in front of a lot of people, he was thrown violently to the ground. And he found a knee in his chest. He got kneed a few times either in the head or chest."

Difenderfer said a number of parents saw Upper Saint Clair Principal Michael Ghilani attack Rodella, even though Ghilani did not identify himself.

In a statement, the Upper Saint Clair School District said, "We have concluded that neither our school personnel nor the township police acted inappropriately or improperly."

The statement added that there had been "multiple announcements advising the students to refrain from charging the floor."

Rodella's father is president of the Mount Lebanon School Board, but he said he's approaching the matter as an average parent.

At this point, no charges have been filed.

While the Rodellas said they're looking for an apology, their attorney said they might also ask that the Ghilani attend anger management classes.

---

Related Links:
More County News

Get RSS | E-Mail Alerts

---