What should I do here?

[robertclasalle]

I saw a similar play today at a girls H.S. varsity tournament quarterfinal game in New Jersey. A player was carried out of bounds by her own momentum and then returned to the court to retrieve the ball, being the first to touch the ball after returning to the court. The lead official, a few feet away from the play, ruled this a violation and awarded the ball to the other team. My wife, sitting next to me, asked me if the call was right. I said I didn't think so, it's not like the NFL rule, and as far as I could recall, the rule says a player cannot leave the playing court to avoid a block or screen. In fact, as I recall without consulting my rules book, the penalty was changed recently from a T-foul (?) to a violation to encourage us to call it more often.