Referees Screw Manasquan Basketball Team in State Semifinals
With a trip to the New Jersey State Championship on the line, referees overturned a game-winning shot where the player CLEARLY got it off in time.
Manasquan was down by 1 point to Camden with 5.9 seconds left to play. As they drove down the court, a shot is missed but a quick put-back rebound goes down giving Manasquan a 1-point lead. In the video of the shot, it is EVIDENT that the shot left the shooters hand with time remaining on the clock. The clock hits :00 and there’s a huge celebration for the Manasquan supporters.
HOLD UP THOUGH! Referees would gather after the shot to review whether or not the shot was put back in time. After a moment, it was wrongly determined that the shot did not get off in time and the 2 points were removed, thus giving Camden the win. There is no video review in high school basketball, and what would have been one of the greatest moments of that student’s life was ripped from him unfairly.
The ball is clearly out of the player’s hand with time remaining on the clock.
After the game, Manasquan coach Andrew Bilodeau said, “They reversed the call. The referee in the C position in the middle signaled ‘basket’s good’, they huddled up and then 15 kids got screwed in front of 1,000 people and that video will be on the internet for everyone to see. These guys beat Camden’s ass in front of everyone in this gym and everyone on TV. (Camden is) a heck of a team – well-coached, tough, defensive-minded – but we outplayed them tonight and everybody saw it. God bless you all.”
Manasquan appealed the decision to the NJSIAA, which was rejected. In their response, the NJSIAA said “NJSIAA Program Regulations Section 14 states that ‘no video or audio recording may be used to review or challenge the decision of a sports official.'” Legal action has been considered, but no word as to whether or not that will be attempted.
A really, REALLY bad call just cost a student-athlete an epic moment and it’s a shame that this happened.
