I hate it when this happens...kinda long

[LarryS]

Allow me to take some time to set the situation. Traffic was great yesterday so I get to the game site almost an hour and a half early (had games 2 and 3 on the night). No problem, I just watch the 5:00 game and try to learn something. Come to find out, the school didn’t get officials for the early game and the late game was cancelled. They ask if my partner and I can call “game 1”. I tell them probably, but my partner won’t be here for 30 minutes. Long story, I agree to start the game alone (took as much time as I could changing, checking the books, etc.). Talk to the coaches and captain to tell them I will try to call the low stuff but odds are I’ll miss a few trying to watch everything. At half time, both coaches stop and compliment the good effort, mention they notice some ruff stuff starting in the lane and would talk to their players (both teams decided to spread the floor so it was really hard to keep an extra eye of the post play with 6 players going at it above the arc).

Partner arrives just after the start of the second half. We talk at the first stoppage and I tell him about the coach’s observation and we try to clamp down by calling it tight down low. Things go fairly smoothly until just under 2 minutes. I’m trail and the ball comes loose about 3 feet above the key. Players from each team are trying to tap it out to teammates so hands are flying but no contact. Ball bounces away and H25 throws a hard, mean elbow into the chest of V10 (knocking her back a step and a half)…tweet, flagrant T…ba’ bye. Partner hustles into the group and starts to separate everyone with me and says, “I got this, take care of the reporting.” I go center court and report the T, home coach ask me what happened. After I tell him, he says, “She did that because #10 has been hammering on her the entire half.” I calmly tell him we have called the contact we have seen and ask him to get me a sub. He yells, “I have one minute!” I tell him “No coach, you have 30 seconds.”, point to the timer and ask her to start the clock and back out to the opposite side of the center circle. Home coach turns to me and says “You better get your sh!t together!”…tweet…T on home coach.

Been thinking if there was anything I could have done to avoid this whole scenario. It is probably safe to say I missed some banging in the first half, which contributed to the player’s frustration that manifested itself at the end of the game. Just felt I needed to concentrate on the action around the ball while alone. Could have told my partner what I had and let him handle the reporting, but it was my call. Never had problems with the coach in the past and his team was winning by 40. Can’t figure out what went wrong. Luckily there were no evaluators present.

Sorry for the long post, it helped me play it over one more time. Any suggestions or is this a case of just doing what you gotta do? Second game was very smooth; course it helped that the home team also won that one…but only by 55.