"But, this is game 20."

[26 Year Gap]

At our mid-season meeting, we were advised that the state principals association was concerned about several areas that were not being uniformly enforced. One of those was the proper wearing of mouthguards. A memo was sent out to all officials and to the basketball coaches association.

Yesterday, we had a girl doing the 'chipmunk', the 'dubble bubble' and the 'fishhook'. I warned her in the first half and later my partner did as well. [The penalty is sending the player out for one whistle]. I spoke to her coach at halftime as I was ready to send her off but there was no dead ball until the horn at the end of the 2nd quarter.

Sure enough, during her first stint of this 35-40 point game, she comes down court doing Alvin proud. At the next whistle I sent her off. [I hardly ever notice the mouthguard violations, but this girl was blatant about it.] And at the break between quarters the coach comes out to ask why in the 20th [ie final] game of the season we send her off and how there must have been other offenders and that the player told her it was only during dead balls etc ad nauseum. I told her about the emphasis and the fact that I advised her of what was going to happen at halftime.

I guess she didn't get the memo.