You make the call - T or delay?
 

Louisiana Boys Class 2A quarterfinals matchup, Team A is the home team and has the throw in on their own baseline, Team B has the possession arrow. There are two players from Team A that have reported to the scorer's table to check in at the next dead ball. Team B is up 3 points, 1 minute and change left in the 4th quarter.

A1 keys throw in, ball is caught by A2. A2 is immediately tied up by B1, lead makes jump ball call. Trail is near scorer's table and sees one of the players (A6) from Team A at the scorer's table grab the old style wooden possession arrow and turn it Team A's direction. Trail immediately signals technical foul.

Lead (crew chief), C and trail get together to confer, Trail relays what he saw A6 do at the scorer's table, Crew chief informs both teams of the Technical foul and Team A's coach asks for and receives a time out to question whether the situation warranted a technical. Crew chief tells team A coach that an unsportsmanlike technical was called and that is that.

Team B went on to win by 12pts

what say ye? Technical or delay warning?

How can you call a delay warning? It's an obvious technical foul, and I'd tell the coach he's lucky I didn't issue a flagrant. Coach might get a T for being stupid.

This is an unsporting T. Refer to Rule 4-47 to familiarize yourself with delay warnings!

I know what the rule is, I am not asking for rules support. I am asking would you automatically call the T without hesitation? or would you consider the time and game situation before you gave the kid a T?

How could time and game situation possibly mitigate this act?
FWIW, time and game situation might just lead me to go flagrant.

This would be one of the easiest T's to call...ever.

The game situation is what led to A6 committing such a bone-headed transgression.

I should add that if you can get away with making a call not supported by the rules (a delay of game warning, for example, in the situation described in the OP) at this level of play (a state quarterfinals game), then your state governing body needs re-staffed.

Of course it doesnt, all I did was ask a question

and I agreed with and supported my friend who was in the Trail and made the appropriate call. The crew chief knew it was the appropriate call by rule and he had no issue with the Trail who called it. On the ride home they discussed it and the trail did express that he felt like A6 wasn't trying to get away with anything, that the kid was just being dumb. The game management on the table (with scoring reps from both teams) saw him do it and 1/3 reffs saw it so there was no way he would get away with it.

all that being said, A6 pretty much ended the game when he touched the arrow and the crew felt bad about the situation but they did not feel bad about the ruling. A6 is the goat and team B went from just getting the ball up by 3 with 1min and change left to up by 5 with the ball and still retaining the arrow.

I know, and your question begged another question; so I asked it.

sure thing, we are on the same page here

having the necessary personal conviction to do the job is very interesting to me and I like discussing the human element to officiating and not getting into a "ruleoff" like some guys do

most people on the street would say:

time+score+dumb teenager = didnt mean any harm/soften the blow

but we have to follow the rules and this is as clear cut as they come IMHO.

That being said, would any of you have hesitated with the "T" for even an instant?

I probably would have been like your friend. I'd have called it immediately, and regretted the situation (not the call) later.

this was a VERY experienced crew, all three are crew chiefs in the regular season:

lead/crew chief = 28 year LHSAA official/D-1

C = 26 year LHSAA official/NAIA

Trail = 22 year LHSAA official

none of them had ever seen or heard of anything like this before and yeah they all felt bad about the situation but good about the ruling

Don't forget to charge the coach with an indirect technical foul. I would think the R would inform him of the loss of the box after the crew huddled and decided to call the T, but your post did not indicate that he did so.