Boys HS varsity game, and this unusual sitch actually happened.
Visitors jumped out to a 22-0 lead in the first quarter. Second quarter, home team made a few buckets and at the half the score was something like 36-7. Partners & I proceed to table at half to check with scorers, when a member of the local press comes running up saying that a basket had been missed (scored by the visitors). We kind of glanced at him as he tried to convince both official and visiting scorer of their mistake. Scorers huddle, and BOTH say score in books and on scoreboard is correct.
Second half, wouldn't you know it, the home team catches up, ties it, and wins by two.
Visitors coach is now questioning the alleged missed basket, but both scorers maintain their position.
Now I'm bugged.. I get a copy of the game film, watch it, write down every point, and the scorers did indeed miss a bucket. Since the beginning of the game was such a blowout, I believe that they both had some kind of lapse, and I saw exactly where on the film. After a basket, quick steal undeneath, easy layup.. Probably had their heads down.
Any suggestions/comments on a different way to handle this?

You handles this in exactly the correct manner. Points in the book can not be changed (corrected) unless there is definite knowledge that an error occured. Once the officials have left the visual confines of the court at the end of the game, the score is approved and made final. No further changes can happen at this point even if a mistake is discovered later on. The only thing you can do is to learn from the mistake and focus on the game even when it is an apparent blowout early on.

oatmealqueen,
Why not ask the press guy what he had, and then go to the shot charts for more information? Then run the new information past the scorekeeper and make your decision.
mick

Mick,
We asked a few questions, the scorer for the visitors was a young student, and seemed flustered. Also students keeping stats in this game. Your suggestion is a good one however, Thanks.
b-brady

Sorry mick but I can't agree with you. I think the officials did all they could in this sitch. If the running scores match, that's the score. This is probably a one in a million situation. Whether the guy is right or wrong, you open a whole new can of worms when you try something like this. What if the basket had been credited, the visitors win, and a review of the tape shows the score was correct to begin with? Sometimes socrers make mistakes but we can't go wild goose chasing.

Can't remember if I've told this before or not (the advantage of getting old; re-living things can be so much fun):

7th grade county semi-finals, in OUR gym. I'm filming the game so I can prepare stats later. At halftime the guy next to me tells me the score is wrong, that the opponent had one more point than they were supposed to have. I didn't think much of it. We lose in overtime. At the end of the game, the same guy says, watch the film - we got screwed.

I review the film that night, and sure enough, early in the first half, one of the opponents was credited with a 3 when he should only have received 2 points (the officials correctly signaled the score, but OUR scoreboard operator and scorekeeper got it wrong).

The kicker is, when our 7th grade coach talked to the opponent's 7th grade coach the next day, the opponent's coach said he knew the score was wrong all along.

Leads to the ethics question, "How far do you go to be honest?"

BTW, we got our revenge in 8th grade.