[A Pennsylvania Coach]

On Friday we played one of our two biggest rivals. They beat us in OT in the first meeting, at their gym in December. We ended up winning at home Friday by six points. Here are two seemingly unrelated situations from the game.

I only caught the tail end of this during the game, but I could see it all on the tape. During a timeout, our opponents substituted. The sub came to the table after the warning horn. The official noticed and did not allow the substitution.

With about 2:30 left in the game, about a four-point game at the time, the opponents' star player went down injured. The opposing coach went almost all the way to her (she was in the lane on his end of the court, he got maybe two steps away from her and about six steps onto the court) without being beckoned. She got up and decided she was okay to continue. The official (same one from earlier) came to the table to report the foul on the play, and I asked him if the player had to come out of the game since the coach came on the floor to check on her. He snapped at me that it's a technicality and if I wanted to make this game all technicalities the rest of the way, he could do that. I backed off and said I was just asking.

After the game I was more perturbed. I felt bad trying to get his player out of the game, but I get caught up in the game sometimes. I did apologize to the opposing coach afterward. But after he enforced the "no sub after the warning horn", and didn't enforce the "player must be replaced if the coach is beckoned or comes on to the court", I was left wondering which rules are technicalities and which rules are to be followed. I wish I could've said without repercussion, "if I give you a rule book, could you highlight the rules we are disregarding tonight?"