Michigan D2 Championship

[Nevadaref]

This contest between River Rouge and Unity Christian was shown as a full replay on FoxSports in my area. I had heard that it was a close game, so decided to watch it.
Some thoughts:
1. It was a tremendous game! If you have to opportunity to see it, do so!
2. The officiating was excellent. Great job by those guys. I could clip several plays for training and they nailed 99% of them.
3. The only call which I can point out as incorrect was awarding three FTs to a UC player at the halftime buzzer (he made 2/3), but that is only because I have the benefit of the TV replay which shows that the shot was not released before the red light on the backboard came on. In real time on the court, it is extremely close and the official has to look at the location of the player (behind the arc), the contact by an opponent (yes, he undercut him), and determine if the try is released in time (It wasn’t, but just barely late.) Plus there had been a scramble for the ball taking place in the waning seconds. (Perhaps the C could have helped with the timing of the release.)
4. The athletic ability of both teams was quite high. Nobody huge, but some nice 6-5 & 6-6 players who were long and skilled.
5. The defensive pressure of RR was amazing! If they could have pressed earlier without tiring out... Maybe... the coach had to decide when to really turn it on.
6. Great crowd! Game played at the Breslin Center. Home of Michigan State. Yes, they added a HS 3pt line.
7. Someone from Michigan will have to chime in and explain the location and nature of the schools. (Inner city, private, public, enrollment, etc.) How are the divisions determined? It was fascinating watching these two teams battle.
8. The racial make-up also provided a striking contrast with RR all-Black and UC all-White. Are there many such situations of this in Michigan? Don’t know what undercurrents this brought to the game, but nothing was apparent on the court. For the record the 3-man officiating crew had one Black guy and two White guys.