Get'em early!

[BktBallRef]

Girls tourney championship game tonight, last year's 1A State runnerup vs. a pretty good 3A team.

I'm center, tableside, in front of 3A bench. Ball goes into 6'4" center in the low post and the lead rotates to my side. As he does, Amazon turns, lowers her shoulder, deosn't displace defender, shoots and gets fouled. 3A howler monkey and asst. howler jump up, go ape$hit, wanting a PC foul. I quickly point out to the asst. that he needs to maintain his composure, that we will allow the head howler some latutude but that he must remain seated and quiet. So, he got the benefit of a warning that I don't usually give to an asst. howler. Then head howler and I discuss the merits of then play.

Three trips down the floor later, I'm still at trail, tableside and the R calls a foul on a 3A player. Asst. howler loudly claps his hands together and yells, "That's terrible! Call it both ways!" He's mine. WHACK!

Lead reports, I report, lead is the most veteran official among and stays tableside trail, to quiet down head howler, while I go to center. Lead bounces ball to shooter when I hear "TWEET! WHACK!"

We had zero problems, comments, or issues after that.

I guess these guys, who I had never seen before, thought they could intimidate us into calling the game their way.

What did head howler say? My partner, who previously has called 3 technicals on coaches in the 5 years I've worked with him, asks the howler to sit down since he now has an indirect. His reply? "I'll think about it!!"

Get'em early and you'll have a better game!