Highschool Basketball Game Results in 107-2 - Controversy Ensues

[inv4zn]

Article: High school girls basketball team gets ruthlessly thrashed 107-2 | canada.com

An Indiana high school girls basketball team got beaten worse than a rented mule yesterday, losing 107-2.

In what can only be considered as simply untrue, Bloomington South coach Larry Winters told the Indianapolis Star there was no effort to embarrass their opponents or run up the score during Tuesday’s game.

The team that lost, Arlington, currently sits at a woefully 0-6 this year, having lost 23 straight games.

Now correct me if I’m wrong, but beating a team in basketball by over one hundred points doesn’t seem very sporting.

Not only did Bloomington South thrash Arlington on the court, but they also managed to do the same thing to their school’s reputation in the process.

Running up the score to this extent is classless and demonstrates a complete lack of compassion and empathy.

Chris Kaufman, the assistant commissioner for the Indiana High School Athletic Association, says there is no “mercy rule” in Indiana.

Well, it would seem as though there’s no discretion either.

Perhaps Arlington shouldn’t have a basketball team in the first place. But any sensible adult should know better than to instruct their team to keep beating the living daylights out of their opponents.

At the end of the day, it’s HIGH SCHOOL basketball and not the NBA.

Why Bloomington South didn’t just dribble around the ball and put up the occasional brick remains a mystery.

Winters contends that his team didn’t stop shooting because “that would have been more embarrassing” to Arlington, whose only points came on a free throw in the second quarter and another in the third.

Missing a few shots intentionally or letting the other team score a bucket or two would have been more embarrassing then tearing the opposition apart as if they were wet tissue paper?

If Winters truly believes that, then it’s reasonable to conclude that he doesn’t know much about sportsmanship and should therefore not be in a position to coach teenagers.

What do you guys think?

People are bashing the winning team for having no compassion and purposefully embarrassing the losing team. The coach was apparently fired after a public apology as well.

[StylinRed]

I can understand the coachs position if they purposely played to lose after a lead it would be like rubbing salt in a fresh wound

if the other team was truly that bad i could see the score being a lot higher than what it ended up being though so many the players did show some discretion?

maybe the coach should have told his team to just try and shoot 3 pointers instead?

kind of a lose lose situation

[Mr.HappySilp]

LOL there is no mercy in this world. If a team is this bad maybe they should see why they are this bad to get beaten so badly.

Can't blame the other teams for playing, after all it is ia sports and the general rule of thumb is to play your hardest.

[MR_BIGGS]

I played highschool bball and our team was pretty good (top five provincially ranked) and we often played teams that had no business being on the court. That said, if it was going to be a blowout and we were up 30+, our coach would put in the bench players. It's a respect thing, and you are not proving anything beating a shitty team. Or if we were up by a lot, he'd try new things with us (new offenses we were learning, or a new defensive set). If the bench players continued running up the score, than too bad for the other team.

[GLOW]

clear the bench and start running plays using up the clock. i wouldn't chuck up bricks like the author suggests. at the same time i wouldn't keep up the intensity as if it were the championship game.
@stylinred
i dunno about trying to shoot 3 pointers? what if they get hot and start makin' them

[freakshow]

2 points??? The coach is definitely nuts. It's not really about telling his team to only shoot threes, it's to ease up on the defense and let the other team score a few as well. Unless, even with no defense, the other team couldn't put the ball in the hoop, which i find hard to believe of the course of the entire game.

[Spoon]

The coach is probably filing a wrongful dismissal suit right now.

[GLOW]

Originally Posted by freakshow

2 points??? The coach is definitely nuts. It's not really about telling his team to only shoot threes, it's to ease up on the defense and let the other team score a few as well. Unless, even with no defense, the other team couldn't put the ball in the hoop, which i find hard to believe of the course of the entire game.

you never know. when you're up against a team that's obviously way better than you, you can easily lose your confidence and start to miss open jumpers or layups and be completely out of rhythm. but 2 points is pretty

[Gridlock]

There's no mercy rule in Indiana...ok. Is there a rule against the coach going to the other bench and saying, "hey, wanna just call it?"

I don't know why there is controversy over it. It's high school basketball. How much fault can there be if the other team sucks that bad?

[inv4zn]

There's controversy because we live in a society where we "must protect the rights of everyone."

But in this case it might have made sense...the team that lost will be humiliated for a very long time. In this day and age where kids are as fragile as ever due to overprotection and such, results might be pretty big.

[kakucaekz]

Reminds of hockey, I think it was the World Juniors where Canada would score 10+ goals and destroy the opposing team.

I seriously don't think that running up the score was so bad, especially since it's high school basketball, and the team that got pummelled apparently just sucks, and I'm sure they know it. But then again, 107-2 is a ridiculous score; average points are like 50-70 in a high school match, I think?

[Hondaracer]

Too many bleeding hearts in this world, participation ribbon generation
Posted via RS Mobile

[Nightwalker]

What are they supposed to do? Wander aimlessly around the court once they get a solid lead?

[604STIG]

I think they fired the wrong coach. I can understand how embarrassing it would be to lose by that much, but I think it would be worse to have to see the other team all but stop playing just to "make you feel better" about being so shitty. Too much sensitivity now days regarding kids, how are they ever going to learn about disappointment and failure, it does help build character. Need to teach that you can't win all the time, and that everything isn't made of candies and rainbows.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by Gridlock

There's no mercy rule in Indiana...ok. Is there a rule against the coach going to the other bench and saying, "hey, wanna just call it?"

I don't know why there is controversy over it. It's high school basketball. How much fault can there be if the other team sucks that bad?

LOL yea is a sports you are suppose to give it your best! Just coz the other team suck balls doesn't mean you go easy on them.

[Isaiah11]

I would watch this game

[Bouncing Bettys]

Its a bit disappointing to see the notion of sportsmanship appear to be lost on more recent generations. Its not about handing out participation ribbons.

Sportsmanship: is an aspiration or ethos that a sport or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors

I got much more out of sports when the competition was close than from a blowout. When I see old teammates and opposing players, we discuss the close games with much more detail and enthusiasm. One of my earliest personal sports memories, from soccer at the age of 5, isn't a goal or a save, it was offering a hand up to an opposing player who attempted a tackle on me.

[sonick]

Originally Posted by kakucaekz

Reminds of hockey, I think it was the World Juniors where Canada would score 10+ goals and destroy the opposing team.

I seriously don't think that running up the score was so bad, especially since it's high school basketball, and the team that got pummelled apparently just sucks, and I'm sure they know it. But then again, 107-2 is a ridiculous score; average points are like 50-70 in a high school match, I think?

The thing is for the World Juniors, I believe they take point spread or total goals into account for tiebreakers, so it encourages stronger teams to run up the score.

I doubt it is the case with high school basketball. Just a simple lack of sportsmanship and class.

[van_city23]

I played in high school, university and a bit after that as well. You don't step on the court to purposely miss and throw up shots. To any competitor, that's just plain stupid. What we would do in blow outs was to work on different half court sets, pull out fast breaks into half court sets, use the full shot clock, no full court pressure but at the same time, your pride, competitiveness and whatever else you have inside you has the instinct not to give up free points either (speaking for an athlete's mind). All the strong players would start the game and then let the bench players get theirs. Keep in mind that these girls are in high school meaning some of them are trying to go get ncaa div. 1 scholarships and whatnot so they have to get their numbers. I wouldn't put any blame on the coach at all. There are plenty of other recreational leagues that the girls can enter their school team as a club team in that could be less competitive. It's the nature of competition. Where would you draw the line is a tough one though... if my team was being blown out and the other team was showboating about it, well lets just say the line in crossed.

[gdoh]

I don't know about you guys but I play games to win not to lose and if I'm wining by a lot, I like to see how bad I can beat the person, as long as your humble about it in the end there should be no problem.

[hotshot1]

The coach was fired? That's the dumbest decision that could have come out of this.

Herm Edwards "You play to win the game!" - YouTube

[bing]

I don't see too many choices - either end the game early, do stupid shit to waste time, or play normally and beat the shit out of your opponents.

If Arlington sucks that bad, does every team have to waste two hours of their time whenever they are scheduled to meet? I don't find that fair either.

If the league cared so much, maybe they should institute a policy where for example, if you're up by 35-40+ the game is declared over.

[melloman]

I'm just going to say it.. when you LOSE 23 STRAIGHT GAMES.. how is it just an uproar that a team beat you 107-2.

Why are we blaming the coach? Why not blame the fucking association for putting your BEST team in the league, against clearly one of the WORST teams in the league. If I was the coach, no apologies would be given as nothing was done wrong. What apology can be given? "I'm sorry our team didn't let up on the other team"?

Also, why blame the coach for having "no mercy rule" in the state of Indiana. How is that his fault? Sure, the coaches could've met and called it a game. But the losing teams track record kind of foreshadows this event.

[Phil@rise]

Ohh the poor children they must be traumatized!!!! pffft please.
The loosing coach could have thrown in the towel. Hes an asshole for not but is it really that big of a deal? This is just another lets protect and shelter our children too much issues.
I am surprised they dont have mercy rules tho. Even my softball league does. As soon as there is a five run gap maybe seven not exactly sure the game is called. Quite often we continue playing but score keeping stops and its just sporting practice.

[124Y]

IMO, the whole point is to try your best and give it all you got. Sure, Bloomington South could tried new plays or use their bench players, but they shouldn't deliberately play a shitty game just to make their opponent "feel better".