Where can fans stand? (KY HS)

[bwbuddy]

I attended a close Kentucky High School basketball game this week, and witnessed something I thought was quite odd. It was a hard fought game throughout, two top 15 teams, and when the game was in its last 5 minutes, during a timeout, a group of about 12 home-team HS students, painted and dressed in their best fan garb, went down to stand behind the opponents goal, as they do in almost all close games. The school's AD walked down and stood behind them, as he always does, to make sure none of them get out of hand. All fans were well behind the painted "buffer zone, I guess around 6 ft or so beyond the OOB line.

All of a sudden as the timeout ended and one particular referee (3-man crew) noticed the fan's, he instructed them that they couldn't stand there. The AD immediately engaged in a rather heated conversation with the referree, I assume insisting that the fans had the right to stand there as long as they caused no trouble. After about 90 seconds, during which both teams returned to their bench to wait it out, the referree relented somewhat, at least having them move a few feet closer to the corner.

So, what rule was the referree citing, and why hadn't other previous referees taken the same action?

Ironically, the AD is a bit of a cult hero at the school now since he stuck up for his kids.