Last week, I had a kid win a game at the line with no time on the clock. First time I'd ever had that in a game.
http://www.officialforum.com/thread/18886
Tonight, another first. Regional semi-final HS playoff game. D3 (smallest division in MA) boys game. This had been a
great game throughout. Coaches coaching, kids playing hard, but not dirty. Not a lot of fouls in the first half. Decent partners.
Fast forward to the closing seconds of the 2nd half. Team A (higher seed) is winning by 4 points and A1 is fouled with 8.6 seconds. A1 makes the first FT, then misses the second on purpose, I think, so that the clock will run. The tactic works as the rebound is batted around for a couple seconds.
B1 secures the rebound and pushes it upcourt, passes to B2 who hits a 3. Team A now leads by only 2. Coach B screams for a TO and my partner blows the whistle to grant the TO. When the whistle blows, I look at the clock and see 0.6 seconds. The clock then continues to 0.0 and the horn sounds.
I was the referee on this game. Everybody in the place knows that there was time left on the clock. But I know that we don't correct the clock if it falls within that one second of "lag time". ("The rules
do not permit the referee to correct situations resulting in normal reaction time of the timer which results in a 'lag' [one second or less] in stopping the clock.") I talk with my partners and we agree that the 0.6 cannot be put back on the clock.
Game over.
Coach B then predictably goes nuts, screaming for us to come back. Then when we don't go back, he follows us into the tunnel. "Even if it's just one-tenth, put it up and let us play it!", which seems to me to be reasonable, but against the rules.
Me: "Coach, if you want me to explain the rule. . ."
Coach B: "Ahhhh, you're nothing but two-bit f$*#@!g whores!"
At which point, I went to the locker room and he was quickly shooed back out of the tunnel.
Now, I am convinced that we administered the situation correctly, despite the unfortunate result. I truly feel awful about having this great game end as a result of a slow timer. So I want to hear the comments from all of you as to (1) whether you agree that we administered the situation correctly and (2) how we might have handled it better to avoid the coach's meltdown.
And skip the advice about reporting the coach; it's already in the works.