Mark, Jr., and I had our last game of the high school (in both Ohio and Michigan) season (even though he does have a girls Jr. H.S. DH in Michigan on March 10th). It was a boys' jr. varsity game in Ohio; at two-man crew and it was a heck of a way to end the season (we still have the Ohio Special Olympics Final Four at the end of March though).
The games are seven minute quarters in this league (three minute overtime periods per OhioHSAA) and I tossed the jump ball right on schedule at 06:00pmEST (Junior was the R, but I toss the ball so I do not have to start the game by runnng. Of course Junior will tell you that he never sees me run on the basketball court.
I called the first foul of the game with just over 3:30 left to play in the first quarter on the V-1 and put the H-1 on the line for two free throws. H-1 made them both for the first points of the game. From then on the game did not get any better.
The Home Team jumped out to a 10-2 lead and then proceeded to let the Visitors back into the game. After I called the first foul of the game the foul total by the 6:00 mark of the second quarter was Visitors -- 10, and Home -- 2, and yet the Home Team could not extend their lead to no more that three points. The Visitors did make it to the 1+1 bonus by the end of the second quarter though but was still losing the game by three points.
The second half was not better except that the Home Team was the team that wanted to foul and foul they did. The Visitors were into the double bonus by the end of the third quarter.
I need to say that we did not call any ticky-tack fouls. Both teams went at each other hammer and tong.
And while the foul total was Home -- 10, and Visitors -- 2, at the end of the third quarter, and the Visitors still could not take the lead but was only losing by one point.
Finally in the fourth quarter the Visitors went on a scoring streak and took a five point lead which they held for almost the entire quarter, but with less than 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter the Home Team rallied and scored the tying two-point field goal with 1.9 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Both teams had used all of their timeouts in regulation.
The Home Team jumped out to a two point lead which they held for most the the "first" overtime period. The Visitors tied the game with about 50 seconds left to play and then stole the ball with just seconds to play but committed a player control foul (called by me) on attempted field goal try with 0.8 seconds to send the game into the "second",
, overtime period.
The Home Team jumped out to a five point lead which the held the entire period to win the game and Junior and I walked off the court exactly two hours after we started.
Our first H.S. umpiring assignment is Monday, March 31st, I cannot wait.
MTD, Sr.