Confession Time - Correctible Errors

[Mark Dexter]

I've had 9 years' experience on the scorebook and on this board, sorting out correctible errors. Thought I had the rule cold - until tonight.

Girls' JV, and the scorekeeper was an easily distracted varsity player (first foul I reported, she was talking on her cell phone). With 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter, I call a foul (B1 fouled A1) during rebounding action, and the scorekeeper tells me it's 1-and-1.

I thought it was a bit odd (we didn't have a ton of fouls), but I tend to trust my scorekeepers (mistake #1!), so we awarded the 1-and-1, A1 misses the first shot. B rebounds, is coming upcourt when the scorer has me come over.

Ok . . . unmerited free-throw, change in team posession, cancel the shot and all activity, clock doesn't get reset, ball goes back to the POI. No problem - EXCEPT - my brain somehow thought that POI would mean A getting the ball back instead of the point at which the game was interrupted to correct the error.

At least I know the rule now (and how to correctly apply it). Also, I was at least somewhat convincing to the coaches.

Best part - the scorer told me that her coach told her to keep track and tell the refs when there were 7 team fouls. Unfortunately, the coach failed to mention that it was per half.