An apparent scoring error kept Vigor’s Jamyia Washington (3) from being credited with a made free throw in a 50-49 overtime loss to Eufaula in the Class 5A girls South Regional last week in Montgomery. (Helen Joyce/Call News)
By ARTHUR L. MACK
A scoring discrepancy which may have denied Vigor’s girls basketball team a victory in the Class 5A South Regional semifinals has left the players, coaches and fans in an uproar after state athletic officials said they could do nothing about it.
The Wolves lost 50-49 in overtime on Feb. 16 but should have won 44-43 if the error had been corrected, according to Vigor coach Andrea Powell.
Alabama High School Athletic Association and National Federation of High School rules state the score is final once a game ends but that was of no consolation to Powell.
“We won the game in regulation 44-43,” she said via text to the Call News. “This isn’t fair to my girls and as a coach I did everything I was supposed to do but they (the officials) lied to us.”
Jamyia Washington made one of two free throws with 5:57 left to give the Wolves a 39-33 lead. But at the 3:42 mark, with the score tied 39-39, a point was removed from Vigor’s total to reflect the scoreboard inside Garrett Coliseum, which is run by the officiating crew at the scorer’s table.
Powell said she called a timeout to ask about the missing point and, after some discussion, it was agreed the score should be 39-39. A few seconds later, the Wolves’ point disappeared again. Video of the game’s online broadcast showed Powell calling a timeout and the team’s scorer walking to talk to others at the scorer’s table.
A few minutes later, Powell said one of the referees told her he had to go by the 38 points counted at the scorer’s table. The score was tied 43-43 at the end of regulation, forcing overtime.
“What was I supposed to do different?” Powell said. “The only thing I asked for was to tell them to watch the footage. As soon as the ball was put back into play, the point was taken off. The referee apologized for the error but said we had 38 points.”
The controversy ignited a firestorm on social media. One Facebook user wrote: “How can we expect children to demonstrate character when the adults refuse to make wrong right?”
Mobile City Councilmember Cory Penn said AHSAA officials told him once the game was finished, nothing could be done to change the outcome.
“It was sad because you had students who took the time to work hard to play the game,” Penn said. “You have some seniors who don’t have the opportunity to move forward with their high school careers. We’ve got to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again. I think it sends a bad message. We talk about integrity and honor and doing things the right way and (the players) are not seeing that.”
The official AHSAA play-by-play showed Washington missing both free throws, although the broadcast clearly showed Washington making the second one. The official stats showed Vigor scoring nine points in the fourth period; copies of the Wolves’ scorebook showed them scoring 11 points in the fourth period — including Washington’s made free throw.
AHSAA communications director Ron Ingram told the Call News in an email the only points that are official in a scorebook are the running scores on the top of the scorebook itself.
“The scorebook is official, not the clock,” he said. “The officials checked out the request and chose the official book. Officials must make decisions all the time that others might disagree with … both teams had ample time to overcome any error that was made.”
Ingram said he believes the confusion came in the third period and the officials made the decision when a team scorekeeper’s total didn’t agree with the official book. Copies of both teams’ scorebooks reviewed by the Call News showed Vigor outscoring Eufaula 14-10 in the third period, as does the AHSAA’s official stats.
Powell said her team got a raw deal.
“Our kids put in work over Mardi Gras break,” she said. “I’m trying to get them to look forward … I still feel like I failed them. All our seniors got (out of the game) was, ‘What if?’”
