NJSIAA admits error in Manasquan-Camden HS basketball game, won’t overturn win
The referees in the game said that a basket didn’t count because they wrongfully believed it came after the buzzer.
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There is controversy surrounding a high school basketball game in New Jersey. Did the wrong team win?
The game happened Tuesday night between Manasquan and Camden. It was the Group 2 Semifinal Boys Basketball game. Manasquan was trailing by just one point and had the last shot.
Player Griffin Linstra landed what many believed to be a winning shot just as time expired. Manasquan went crazy, thinking they won. But the referees got together and decided the shot came after the final buzzer. Camden was given the victory.
A video of the play shows that the shot came before the buzzer. The ball was in the air while there was still time on the clock.
But this is high school basketball and referees can’t look at a video replay to confirm. They had to decide in the moment and gave the win to Camden.
The refs say that they did see the video after the game and said that the basket should have counted, but it was too late to change the outcome.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association – high school sports’ governing body – won’t overturn the win. They wrote in a statement, "Once game officials leave the visual confines of the playing court, the game is concluded, and the score is official. We apologize to the Manasquan team for the error."
The Manasquan School District issued its own statement regarding the issue.
“We appreciate the NJSIAA’s transparency in admitting the error…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.”
Camden advances to play for the Group 2 state Championship on Sunday.
