Two rival teams and a packed gym -– everything you look for in a high school boys basketball game. That was the case Tuesday night when No. 3 City played host to No. 2 Lake Clifton.

But an unfortunate incident also took place that, in the end, ultimately hurt the student-athletes who were showcasing their skills. Two Seton Hill University assistant coaches, Brian Carroll and Lukas Crump, made the five-hour trip from the Pittsburgh area to get a look at some Baltimore talent.

Bad weather and traffic put them behind schedule and they didn’t reach City’s gym doors until 10 minutes after tipoff. By that time, the doors were closed. The Baltimore City public school policy states that when a gym reaches full capacity, the doors are to be closed to adhere to fire code regulations. Some 25 others -- parents, supporters and a Baltimore Sun photographer -- also were not permitted into the gym after it reached its limit.

"When it’s at capacity, our school police say that we have the authority and obligation to halt access to an area for safety reasons," said Baltimore City schools spokesperson Edie House. "We had at least 25 other people standing out there also wanting to get in and we need to be fair. If we say to one they can not enter because of safety reasons, then there has to be equal treatment for everyone."

Carroll, a Loyola College grad and former player for the Greyhounds, took the initiative of finding an unlocked door in another part of the school – an unauthorized entrance, according to House – and worked his way near the gym, but wasn’t permitted inside despite showing identification that he was a college coach.

The bottom line: A basketball player from City or Lake Clifton missed out on a chance to impress a couple of college coaches and possibly earn a scholarship to further his education. What can be done to avoid a similar situation? Perhaps college coaches who plan to scout a game should call the home team school in advance to reserve a spot.

As for the rest of the people who were waiting to get inside with no success, perhaps a note should be placed on the outside doors with an explanation that the gym had reached capacity.