Be very careful during player intros.
An incident at an Oregon high school basketball game has sparked controversy, as a Barlow High School boys basketball player was accidentally kicked in the head by a cheerleader from his own team during pregame introductions before an OSAA state tournament game in Portland on Thursday.
Sentori Martino, a senior for Barlow High School, was making his way towards halfcourt after being introduced as a starter when a Barlow cheerleader inadvertently struck him in the head with her feet during a backflip. Martino immediately fell to the ground and remained on the court for several minutes. As a result of the incident, he did not participate in the game.
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Despite the setback, Barlow managed to secure a victory over Jesuit with a score of 69-39 in the consolation bracket game. The team went on to compete again on Saturday morning, defeating Grant 61-58 to claim the OSAA Class 6A consolation championship. However, Martino did not play in the game on Saturday.
Martino is a standout athlete at Barlow High School, excelling in both basketball and football. He earned first-team all-league honors as a wide receiver and cornerback in the past football season and has committed to playing football at Sierra College in California next season.
The incident has left many questioning whether it could have been prevented.
