Approval of Final Score

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

Yep.


Exactly what that text says--"the final score." Now if you wish to know what is the final score, then you must consult the rules book.

2-11-4

The scorer shall:

. . .

Record the field goals made, the free throws made and missed, and
keep a running summary of the points scored.

2-11-11 . . .

Compare records with the visiting scorer after each goal, each foul,

each charged time-out, and end of each quarter and 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 he/she has knowledge which
permits him/her to decide otherwise. If the discrepancy is in the score and 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.



From the above quoted rules, it is clear that the score is NOT what is on the board or what anyone believes the score to be, but rather is what is written in the progressive team totals of the official (home) scorebook.


That's not what the rule says. Don't twist the words. The rule which you quoted simply tells us when the game is officially over. It could mistakenly be declared over, which is the case when the score is tied. The rule which says which team has won the game is 5-3, and it states that the winning team is the one which has accumulated the greater number of
points when the game ends. Points aren't accumulated by being posted on the scoreboard. They are what is written/marked in the official scorebook. So if neither team has a greater number of points therein when the game ends, then we can't just declare a winner. That isn't one of the assigned duties of the referee in rule 2.



Not only is it relevant, but it is the determining factor BY RULE.



That's the same process used in my area. So now what do we do in the situation under discussion?

It seems to me that we have a premature ending of the game that would nicely fit under the following rule:

5-4-3 . . .

Whenever a game is interrupted because of events beyond the

control of the responsible administrative authorities, it shall be continued from
the point of interruption unless the teams agree to terminate the game with the
existing score, or there are conference, league or state association rules to cover

the situation.

All nice but the fundamental element is that the game is over. The state may certainly step in and declare something to be different but none of what you have said cancels the fact that the officials jurisdiction has ended.

As for your last citation, that is referring to power outages, fires, tornadoes, riots, and other kinds of external events that cause the game to be stopped. It isn't intended to be used to correct an error by the officials in declaring the wrong final score.