The official makes a foul call at the end of the game for Arizona Lutheran
By Jon Johnson
PHOENIX – You never want to see a good game ruined by the officials, but that was the case at the end of the 2A State Girls basketball semifinals at Veterans Memorial Collesium on Thursday when an official who should’ve swallowed his whistle instead decided the outcome of the game himself.
This is deplorable at every level of sport but is especially so at the high school prep level, where there is no instant replay to show the error in calls. So we have to ask, for the love of all that is holy, why in the world would you take away from the athlete when a great play happens? In baseball, the tie goes to the runner, and when a player makes a great play, the official – especially in prep high school sports – should defer that they did, in fact, make the great play and not ruin it by a call the official makes.
Pima was up by one point, 55-54, over No. 7 seed Arizona Lutheran with just 5.6 seconds to play after Sadie Richardson banked in her second free throw attempt. The Coyotes called a timeout, Lauren Riesop inbounded, and the ball was returned to her.
Riesop drove up the left side and was met by Hanna Ashby. With time running out, Riesop threw up a poor-looking shot several feet behind the 3-point line and was cleanly blocked by Ashby as time expired. That should have been the end, with Pima winning 55-54, but instead, one official called a foul on the block. That, rightfully so, incensed Pima head coach Roy Corona and Ashby,, who were both assessed technical fouls. Riesop then made 6-7 foul shots with .8 of a second left on the clock to advance the Coyotes to the state championship game with the 60-55 victory. They will play against No. 1 Miami, which defeated St. Johns 65-54 in the other semifinal. The championship game will be played at Veterans Memorial Collesium on Saturday, starting at 9 a.m.
The game was a classic back-and-forth for the entire game, with Arizona Lutheran taking an early 14-10 lead as Pima had difficulty scoring early. The Roughriders kept pace through the first half and the Coyotes entered halftime up 25-23.
In the third period, Pima burst out the gate with Maci Allred hitting two of her four 3-pointers to help propel Pima to a 40-37 lead heading into the fourth.
The Coyotes would come back behind their star Riesop to retake the lead in the fourth with a 9-2 run.
But Pima continued to battle, and Maci Allred got the steal and then hit Sadie Richardson on the fast-break for an assist to tie the game at 48-48 with 3:31 left to play.
After Pima took the lead, Arizona Lutheran hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 54-54 with about 30 seconds left to play.
Pima had a couple of shots at the goal, and Richardson was fouled on a rebound putback attempt. She made her second free throw to put Pima up 55-54 and set up the final play from Arizona Lutheran.
Richardson led Pima with 18 points, Maci Allred finished with 14, Morgan Russell and Hanna Ashby both had 8, Cheyanne Alder had 3 points, and Kelsi Brimhall and Adyssen Hoopes each had 2 points.
