On Wednesday, March 18, Poly’s girls basketball team lost the CIF State SoCal Regional Open Division Championship game against Clovis West. Although the scoreboard at the end of the game said 53-44, there were many things to be said about the game itself.
In an interview with Gazette Sports, Coach Carl Buggs commented he “would never blame refs for a loss, but they shot 35 free throws, we shot 11.” Clovis West received 23 fouls in comparison to Poly’s 15, and though the difference may seem insignificant, the free throws added up to make a big difference. Of Poly’s 11 free throws they were only able to score three, while Clovis made 28 free throws to account for over half of their final score.
After taking a dissapointing loss, the lady jackrabbits line up to shake hands with Clovis West.
It may be downgrading to blame the refs for a game, but this just might be the case for this one. Oddly enough, the refs seemed to make the worst calls at the most clutch and momentous occasions. The crowd reacted with boos, and Poly was never able to catch fire.
In the beginning of the game, the Lady Jackrabbits started off with a turnover and were not able to pick up their energy for the rest of the game. However, the team had a difficult time regaining momentum. Senior forward Kathryn Headspeth commented, “Nobody had energy from the start. The bench didn’t have energy. The people on the court didn’t. Sometimes there was, but it died off.”
Similar moments have happened in sports, such as the Conference Finals in 2002 with the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers. With an astounding lineup in both teams, the series seemed to be a playoff series for the ages. In the 4th quarter of game six, the Lakers shot 27 free throws while the Kings shot nine. The Lakers took the victory and ended up with the NBA championship, but many people today still believe that the series was rigged.
Much like the Sacramento Kings, the Lady Jackrabbits may have took a loss that they did not deserve. Due to these calls, the fans for Poly’s team can no longer witness history. Although the Lady Jackrabbits were not able to leave it all on the floor, it can be easily said that everyone knows their potential and that they deserved a fair game.
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