The Northside boys’ basketball team opened up the third quarter of Monday night’s game over Pamlico County on a 7-2 run, one that widened the lead to nine after a combative first half. It’s a Coastal Plains Conference rivalry that has become just that, combative, over the last few years and led to some physical, competitive games. Then, with 3:38 left on the clock and Northside center Edrice Adebayo in the midst of free throws, the fans’ focus veered from the on-the-court action to the stands.

A fan on the home side had collapsed and fallen a couple rows down. Initially, the situation, which came as quite the surprise, was frantic. But once people realized what had happened, the burden fell in the hands of local law enforcement.

First, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office took the necessary preliminary precautions to keep the home and away fans contained and under control. Realizing the end result of the first meeting between these two teams this season, a contentious 57-43 Northside loss, there were three times as many cops on hand Monday night to keep an eye out. Verbal unsportsmanlike conduct was limited and pre- and post-game fights nonexistent. For added safety purposes, each fan, home and away, was escorted through a medical detector before entering the area as well.

When the medical crisis occurred, the police sprung into action, limiting the crowd and monitoring the fallen fan. Within minutes, there were medical personnel there to transport the fan to the nearest hospital, likely Vidant in Washington.

From speeding tickets to small infractions, local law enforcement is hardly ever recognized in a positive light for what they do in the community. In this instance, they deserve a round of applause for the way they handed Monday night.

The safety of players and fans during high school sporting events should always be considered the upmost priority. Pinetown was in good hands Friday night.