We all know that calls during games don’t always go your way.
But this call was so bad it’s straight-up highway robbery.
And these high school referees were lucky to make it out alive after making one of the worst calls in the history of basketball.
Can we just have a world where refs aren’t needed?
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need referees.
Players would play without committing infractions and would play by the rules.
And teams would be able to respect the outcome of games.
But we don’t live in a perfect world.
Teams always commit penalties and are trying to find ways to cheat the system.
Coaches hate them, players hate them, fans hate them, and even parents hate them, but referees are necessary for sports to be set on an even playing field.
Now sometimes referees do mess up.
And honestly, they mess up to the point where refs are remembered more for their horrible calls than they are for actually making the appropriate ruling on fouls.
Who can forget when the Dallas Cowboys got robbed of the catch over the Green Bay Packers during the 2014 NFC playoff game that would have given the Cowboys the lead late in the fourth quarter?
Or how about the time in 2019 when the New Orleans Saints got robbed of a chance at the Super Bowl and the NFC Championship win as they missed one of the most blatant pass interference calls in the history of the League?
But at least we have instant replay to keep referees in check.
Refs screw the whole high school game
But kids in New Jersey learned the hard way that there isn’t always instant replay to correct the refs’ blatant mistakes.
Earlier last week, two high schools playing in the New Jersey state basketball semifinals game ended in one of the worst calls ever seen in high school sports.
Camden and Manasquan High were neck & neck in the game with Manasquan making what they believed to be the game-winning shot right at the buzzer.
The crowd went wild as the player cleanly shot the basketball and made the buzzer-beater before time expired.
But to the surprise of everyone in attendance, the refs called the game for Camden.
This wasn’t even close. Manasquan got robbed! pic.twitter.com/RUogV8jw8K
— Coach Mike Rice (@CoachMikeRice) March 6, 2024
And to make things even more bizarre, the referees saw the video of the shot after the game and all agreed that the shot was released before time expired.
But, unfortunately for Manasquan, instant replay isn’t allowed in high school basketball in New Jersey.
The high school basketball league that managed the game released a statement explaining that even though the refs agreed after that they made the wrong decision, “the rules are clear — once game officials leave the ‘visual confines of the playing court,’ the game is concluded, and the score is official. So, while the officiating crews’ reports indicate that a post-game review of footage of the play in question convinced them that the basket should have counted, the results could not then and cannot now be changed.”
But the leagues’ statement wasn’t enough for the Manasquan School District which is refusing to let the issue go.
Manasquan released a statement, saying, “We appreciate the NJSIAA’s transparency in admitting the error in the calling of last night’s Group 2 Semifinal Boys Basketball game and appreciate their apology. It is indeed ‘frustrating,’ however, that the NJSIAA refuses to exercise its discretion to remedy a situation that was so obvious and well-documented. In our unwavering support of our players, coaches, and families, the District will continue to pursue any available appeals we can to vindicate the values of fair play and integrity that should be the hallmarks of interscholastic athletics.”
Our statement in response to the @NJSIAA's decision to uphold the outcome of last night's Boys Basketball Group 2 Semifinal Game while admitting referee error: pic.twitter.com/Mpd4pDEUrh
— Manasquan School District (@ManasquanBOE) March 6, 2024
Leave it to refs to, yet again, ruin the game but at least they admitted they were wrong after the fact.
