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Penn Coach, yes I have seen something even more bizarre than your experience as a J.V. coach and almost winning with only 3 players on the floor. And I will probably never see it again, but here goes.
The place: Central Idaho, two small schools (150 students or less in grades 9-12) competing in a girls JV game.
The situation: Team V (visitors) has 6 players on their team. Team H (home) has 12. Also, it is the first year for the three point goal experiment (back in the early 80's Idaho was one of the chosen few states allowed to experiment with the 3 pt. goal at that time).
The score: Home team up by 12 in the first half when the first player from team V fouls out. Yes, that's correct, we are still in the first half. Middle of 3rd quarter, team V loses another player and the score is Home team by 9. Team H now has 5 players and the V has 4. Middle of 4th quarter and the V team loses another player so now it's 3 on 5 basketball. The score at this time is now only 5 points.
How on earth with 4 minutes left to play can the V team with 3 players hang with the H team who still has the full complement of their players? Coaching or lack thereof is your answer. The H team (which had a tremendous winning tradition/program) was a big believer in the old 2-3 zone. Problem is the V team was running a perimeter offense with a point guard and two wings and they are simply passing the ball on the perimeter and launching threes (and making many of them I might add). The H team coach is so stupid, (for lack of a better term) she stays in the 2-3 and has her top two defenders chasing the three perimeters of the V team. The bottom 3 defenders were just standing there. Almost comical, except I was from the Home school.
The result: To put an end to this already too long post, the game went into overtime, the V team got a 3 point lead but then missed a golden opportunity when they jumped a passing lane out of their 1-2 zone (hehehe) and missed a breakaway layup. The ensuing transition basket along with someone in the crowd yelling at the top of their lungs begging the coach to trap or double team the V team finally brought an end to the most incredible game I have ever personally seen. Oh, the H team won by 2.
[Edited by Pirate on Mar 26th, 2003 at 04:48 PM]
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