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Situation:
Varsity girls game out in the middle of Texas somewhere. Team B leading by 2. Player #23 from team A fouls player from team B with 5 seconds to go in game. Calling official (referee) is informed that this is #23's fifth foul. Coach and player are informed, players lineup for double-bonus free-throws. Referee is then informed by visiting team (team B) that #23 does not have 5 fouls according to their book. In an effort to make sure the books agree, the referee compares visiting book with home book. In official book, team fouls and personal fouls do not reconcile (personal fouls = 21 for game, team fouls = 20). Also, referee notices that team B #33 has no fouls, and specifically remembers calling two consecutive fouls on #33 only moments earlier. The visiting book only has 3 fouls for #23; also, total personal fouls and team fouls both equal 20 in visiting book.
Decision:
Referee decides to have official book changed to reflect visiting book (to the dismay of the official scorekeeper), allowing #23 to remain in the game.
What would you have done? After you have decided, read on:
Team B player missed first free throw. The long rebound from second free throw ends up in the hands of team A player #23, who fires a three point shot from half court. Swish, game over, team A wins by 1.
As you probably guessed, I was the ref. Thoughts?
Josh in El Paso, Texas
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