technicals

SoCal High School & Prep Report

Strange Games And Even Stranger Refs We Don't
Want To Know Or Meet--(February 8, 1998)

Here's a story which we got from the Sacramento Bee, while we were searching for some news on Fresno area teams. Did you know there are no Fresno papers with online editions? If you know of one, let us know. But anyway, in searching for some news about Washington Union and Chris Jeffries, we came across this one. It's not about SoCal at all, and we know that our SoCal CIF officials would never act this way. Right? Read on. You won't believe it. We swear we didn't make this up. This could only have happened in Northern California. From the Sacramento Bee:

As technical fouls go, this one will be hard to beat.

It happened at a girls basketball game between Ponderosa and Rio Americano high schools -- two referees bickering between themselves, the argument ending when one ref grabs her jacket and leaves the building.

"In the 45 years I've been associated with this business, I have never seen anything like this," said Don Tipton of the Sacramento Officials Association, the organization that assigns referees. "It was very unprofessional the way the officials handled it. There's no excuse for them to be arguing and there's certainly no excuse for one of them to leave the game, none at all. We will take action."

The game Thursday in Shingle Springs came to a premature end when referees Darla Jones and Michael Bradley began their second argument of the night. Coaches and players said Jones appeared to believe her partner was upstaging her on calls.

The argument heated up when Bradley, disagreeing with a call by Jones, refused to give Jones the ball as Rio Americano prepared to shoot a free throw.

With the refs arguing near the foul line, the teams went to their benches. Players, coaches and a crowd of about 500 watched and waited.

Finally, Jones walked to the scorer's table, took her coat and told the coaches she was leaving.

"Most bizarre and crazy thing I've seen in this game," Ponderosa coach Peter Dwyer said. "I might send the video to 'America's Funniest Videos' and try and collect $10,000. It'd be a good fund-raiser, at least."

Under instructions from the officials association, neither referee would comment. Both refs have good records and reputations, Tipton said.

From a competitive standpoint, the game was over. Ponderosa led 42-12. But there was 5:52 left in the third quarter when Jones left, and the Rio Americano squad said it would not continue with just one official.

"We'd like this played with two officials who can get along," Rio Americano athletic director Dave Nickerson said. "Obviously, the officials weren't in charge of the game or themselves and that's not fair to the kids."

Nickerson has filed a protest with the Sierra Valley Conference in hopes of replaying the game. His paperwork was sent Friday to El Dorado principal Don Binkman, league president. A protest committee will be assembled and a ruling could be made by Tuesday.

Dwyer, whose team is in a first-place tie with Oak Ridge, said he would like to have the game resumed in progress or to have Ponderosa declared the winner, considering its 30-point lead.

The departure of Jones ended a night of bickering between the officials, Dwyer said. Midway through the second quarter, a Ponderosa player passed the ball behind midcourt, a rules violation. Jones was the nearest official but didn't blow her whistle.

"Bradley was near the basket, and he finally made the call, which was definitely the right call," Dwyer said. "She argued that it was her call and that he upstaged her, and the next controversy ended everything."

Early in the third quarter, a Rio Americano player drove to the basket and made a shot immediately after Jones called a foul. There was confusion about whether the basket should count, whether the player traveled and how many free throws should be awarded, Dwyer said.

Jones called for a three-point play. Bradley said the play was a two-shot foul.

"Jones said that it was her call and that she was sticking with it and that's when (Bradley) held the ball on his hip," Dwyer said. "The whole thing was crazy. To me, the officials had the entire half to discuss the game and how they were doing. Obviously, they never got anything resolved."

Amazing. Astounding. See, we said you wouldn't believe it.