scorebook leaves table during halftime

[chseagle]

Had this happen during Girls' JV last night during halftime: buzzer sounded to sound halftime, I checked both books real quick to see if the matched the board & vice versa. After done with that, I left the table with both books still present for a stretching break & to check action in the other gym.

Came back to the table and did not find the home scorebook present at the table. The coach requested that she see the book while in the locker room at halftime & the coach was carrying the scorebook under her clipboard when the team came back into the gym.

I did notify the floor officials of the scorebook leaving the table, however the response was that since there were no changes done to the scorebook no penalty will be assessed.

2-11-11 states: Compare records with the visiting scorer after each goal, each foul, each charged time-out, & end of quarter & extra period, notifying the referee at once of any discrepancy. If the mistake cannot be found, the referee shall accept the record of the official scorebook, unless s/he has knowledge which permits him/her to decide otherwise. If the discrepancy is in the score & the mistake is not resolved, the referee shall accept the progressive team totals of the official scorebook. A bookkeeping mistake may be corrected at any time until the referee approves the final score. The scorebook of the home team shall be the official book, unless the referee rules otherwise. The official scorebook shall remain at the scorer's table throughout the game, including all intermissions.

How can this be handled differently next time since there seemed to be a misapplication of the rules since the official scorebook was removed from the table during halftime? What penalty/penalties if this happens again?

Another question concerning the scorebook: what is the recommended action if the scorer (or designated assistant) does not stay with the scorebook at all times?