A tale of two teams—Update

The situation has changed for the Beren Academy boys basketball team of Houston since I commented on Wednesday about the school’s decision to forfeit its game in the semifinals of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state championship tournament. Beren Academy, an Orthodox Jewish school, made the decision to forfeit because the semifinal game was scheduled for Friday night and thus was on the Jewish Sabbath, which runs from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

But that has changed.

Some Beren players and parents filed a lawsuit in court Thursday morning against TAPPS and the Mansfield Independent School District, host of the state championship, alleging a violation of religious freedoms. Rather than contest the matter, TAPPS Executive Director Ed Burleson opted to amend the game time to accommodate Beren’s Jewish Sabbath observance. If Beren wins today and advances to the championship game, that game will be played at 8 p.m. or later Saturday to avoid conflict with the Jewish Sabbath.