Offensive player initiating contact with lead elbow

[Paul Janssen]

At a recent kids' game I noticed that a young girl was dribbling down the
court with her right hand, and using her left hand to shield contact by
defensive players. The left hand was raised shoulder high, outside the vertical plane as defined by her feet/shoulder position and was
frequently used to initiate contact with defensive players. These defensive
players were not stationary, I'll grant you, but does the rule of
verticality apply to both offensive and defensive players equally? (i.e.,
is the offensive player just as confined as the defensive player?) I (think
I know) that the offensive player has a right to her position, just as the
defensive player does, and that the defensive player can't simply 'reach in'
and strike the dribbling player in an attempt to make a steal. However, my
question is, can an offensive player initiate contact in this manner? My
basic point was that hand contact cannot be allowed by either offensive or
defensive player to gain an illegal advantage over an opposing player.
Unfortunately, the coach who argued against me bullied a young (14 year old)
referee to see things his way, and no offensive fouls were called. A bunch of reach-ins were, when the offensive player had actually initiated the contact. Maybe
I'm just wrong about this. Thanks for responding -- and, sorry if my
description isn't clear enough!
Paul Janssen