OK, WPIAL.

Learn from your mistake and try not to let it happen again.

Ever.

The only thing more bizarre than the way the Butler-Pine-Richland Class 6A boys basketball semifinal game ended Wednesday may have been the circumstances fans had to endure before it started.

Putting that game — knowing full well the crowd it was going to attract — in a gym with the limited seating capacity of Fox Chapel was wrong to start with. Putting it as the second game of a doubleheader — behind the Chartiers Valley-Penn Hills girls game — was ludicrous.

If the WPIAL was looking for trouble, it found some.

As one would figure, some of the Butler and Pine-Richland faithful arrived early to watch the girls game, making sure they found a parking spot and could enter the gym without incident.

What they may not have known was the stands would be cleared after the girls game. Those who had a ticket for the evening who were watching the girls game had to leave the gym, re-enter with that ticket and buy a second ticket to watch the boys game.

In other words, some folks had to pay $14 to eventually see the Golden Tornado play the Rams.

Sorry, but that’s not right.

Here is a possible solution for the future.

Once the WPIAL Tournament reaches the semifinal round, play each semifinal at its own site and start the games at 7 p.m. That is 24 games in all, played on three different nights.

There should be eight high school — or small college — gyms available to house these games. The big-school games, of course, should be played in the biggest gyms.

There is no perfect solution to a game in high public demand. I get that. But that Fox Chapel situation should never have happened.

Marvelous Morton

No one will argue that Pine-Richland is one of the best high school boys basketball teams in Pennsylvania.

That fact makes Ethan Morton’s numbers against the Rams this year that much more impressive. In three games vs. P-R this season, Butler’s junior guard has compiled 111 points, 31 rebounds and 26 assists.

That averages out to 34 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists per game.

Show of respect

Thankfully, Luke Patten is OK after a chilling crash to the floor in the closing moments of the Butler-P-R semifinal.

As the Butler player was being wheeled off the court on a stretcher, spectators, players and coaches from both teams erupted into a standing ovation.

Patten’s tumble provided an instant jolt of perspective for every person in the gym.

Without prompting, everyone paid fitting tribute to a fallen athlete.

It was just nice to see.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle