Crazy ending

[The_Rookie]

From the Chicago Sun Times...Crazy Ending!

Would you handle any differently??

The play that infuriated Coach Mattucci was a bizarre free-throw violation against Zion’s Sam Rodriguez after she hit the first of two free throws to give her team a 39-37 lead.

The ref handed Rodriguez the ball for the second shot, while Zion coaches called out for a timeout. Rodriguez thought the timeout was given and walked over the free-throw line to flip the ball to the ref under the basket and head to the bench.

The refs, who hadn’t granted the timeout, called an over-the-line, free-throw violation and gave Warren the ball.

That call still looked to be irrelevant when Rodriguez stole the insuing pass and dribbled out the clock.

That’s when chaos ensued.

After the horn sounded to end the fourth quarter, Warren team were walking off the court two-point losers when a technical foul was called on Z-B assistant coach Frank Mattucci for arguing a call that originally was made when there 8.5 seconds left in the gameMattucci went immediately to the ref and the resulting “discussion” led to him getting T’d up.Player hit the 2 tech free throws to tie it and force OT. Warren won it on two free throws by Jessica Prince, one free throw by Kristen O’Brien and one free throw by Alyssa Phillips — the last with 2.2 seconds left.

“We wanted a timeout (at the end of the fourth quarter) to set up the defense,” said Mattucci. “It’s simple basketball.

“He (the ref) doesn’t give us the timeout, and then they take the free throw away from Sam.

“Then, our kids still defended Warren, Sam steals the ball and we win 39-37. I’m livid for our kids. They didn’t play a great game but they played well enough to beat a good team.