ONLY ON 3 UPDATE: District says basketball bat an isolated case

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Bladen County Schools spokeswoman says a bat that interrupted a high school basketball playoff game Friday night should not be a recurring problem.

A bat flew around the court in the opening seconds of West Bladen’s game against Southwest Onslow to the screams of fans and surprise to players and referees on the court. Play had to be stopped briefly as people tried to swat the bat with towels and brooms. A young man eventually hit and killed the bat with a broom.

A custodian discovered bats about two weeks ago, which led to work to keep them out of the gym.

“Wildlife Control officers came to West Bladen Saturday morning and checked the building,” Bladen County Schools spokeswoman Valerie Newton told WWAY in an e-mail this weekend. “They did not see any evidence that the integrity of the entrances thought to be where the bats from two weeks ago had gained access to the school gyms had been compromised.”

Newton said officers were confident the bat that flew through Friday night’s game was one of the original that had been in the building since the entrances were sealed a couple weeks ago.

“Wildlife officers indicated that bats can live up to a month inside a sealed building, and that when bats hibernate, they could live longer than that,” Newton said.

According to Newton, a team of key maintenance, custodial, environmental and school personnel will inspect the buildings again tomorrow to make sure that no more bats have gotten in.