Have to commend the Bluebirds, its early in the season, still have there football legs and they kept the game close until the end. Strippers will allways be blamed when its a big game and one team wins by one.

Everyone complains about the game being to rough now and that there is to much handchecking. Now the refs are calling these fouls and everyone is now complaining about too many whistles!

Everyone complains about the game being to rough now and that there is to much handchecking. Now the refs are calling these fouls and everyone is now complaining about too many whistles!

 

I have not seen a game yet this year. I am glad to hear that games will be called tighter. The games had literally become organized brawls. Players and coaches need to adapt to the way the games are called. However, if the officiating is not consistent that is difficult.

Everyone complains about the game being to rough now and that there is to much handchecking. Now the refs are calling these fouls and everyone is now complaining about too many whistles!

The roughness doesn't come from up top or on the wing where the myriad of preemptive whistles are now coming from. The roughness comes down in the paint, where it can still often be a war.

 

Protect the rebounder once he has established possession and you have accomplished your purpose of cleaning up some of the roughness. Up top and on the wing is not where the problems occur, just an easier spot for the officials to see the contact. No one is complaining about calling bona fide handchecking or reaching in fouls when they occur.

 

What we are complaining about are the fouls that have no bearing on the game, and provide no advantage to either team. What I call "Whistle in the wilderness" fouls. I will agree that in the past they have left too much go up top and needed to tighten it up, but now we have run completely to the other side of the bus and are calling meaningless contact fouls.

Everyone complains about the game being to rough now and that there is to much handchecking. Now the refs are calling these fouls and everyone is now complaining about too many whistles![/QUOT

 

They werent calling hand checking fouls to be quite honest. Just silly touch fouls that were 25-30 feet away from the basket and truly didnt give either player an advantage.

I thought Robinson was the best of the 3 referees, he called a good game but even he ate his whstle as Houliston got fouled shooting the final shot. The Lady ref that called the tech on Dixie late for having 6 on the court and also bailed Hatton out with 4 ticks, she needs more Middle school games and Less varsity.

 

If you werent at the game save your comments about us pósters sniveling about the refs. They affected the outcome of this game period. Its not even about the win or loss because its meaningless to be quite honest at this point in the season.

Mustang's post sums it up period.

I'll try to be brief with my thoughts as much has already been addressed (yeah right). For starts, I took from this game a confirmation that Highlands is as valid a 'middle of the 9th Region pack' as anyone considers Dixie to be. I don't think that either team is on par with the Top 4, but Highlands has shown that they are probably much better than most expected, and certainly will be competitive with teams ranked 5-10 as Dixie will be, and could possibly hang around for awhile with 1-4. I think that because of Hatton, Dixie has been given too much credit as being a notch above the middle pack, but I don't really buy into that. He can work miracles at times (as was displayed in the NewCath game) but ultimately I don't think that he can bring that to every game, as amazing as he is. He got it done with the one point necessary to win the game, but in the 3 times that I've seen him so far this year he's not exactly gold from the line, which I find a bit surprising.

 

As far as the officiating goes there's no doubt that it's been very weird so far in the early goings of the season. Frustrating would not be an overstatement. I won't break down every foul of the game, but it certainly sticks out that the one putting Hatton at the line with under 5 seconds was bogus. What I fear, like every year, but more so this year, is that whichever team makes it to the Sweet 16 they will likely face a very different officiated game which will not work in their favor. The 9th Region's tight officiating will train them to be gun shy and they will likely get overworked by other teams around the state when it matters most.

 

Dixie's win and Highlands loss here really doesn't matter much at all. It was an exciting game to watch and pretty much displayed that both teams are fairly evenly matched. More than anything it just proved to be a good measuring stick to show where both teams are right now, and I think that between both teams Highlands probably took away from the game more in that it showed them that they have nothing to hang their heads about and can be competitive with the best, or at least, most of them.

In a sport where everyone makes the playoffs, and for HHS the regular season doesn't even impact seeding for the District Tourney, is the W v L as important as the progress being made? I know everyone wants to win and it feels much better to do so. However, if Houliston throws up a prayer as he is / is not being fouled and it bounces off somebody's head and into the basket as time expires, does that mean HHS is better than Dixie? Even if it did, what does that get you?

 

At this point in the season HHS should focus on getting better each possession, quarter, half, game, week, etc. Suspect they progressed much more in this loss than they did in their win over Bellevue (no shot at Bellevue intended and teams need those games on the schedule for lots of reasons). Sounds like they are ahead of schedule and an exciting team to watch. Looking forward to seeing them play when they have their next home game. I think it is in late February!!!

Everyone complains about the game being to rough now and that there is to much handchecking. Now the refs are calling these fouls and everyone is now complaining about too many whistles!

 

Hand checking is not playing rough. They call the touch fouls but when someone gets hammered or pushed that is where the rough play starts. That is often overlooked.

Nice win for Dixie and a nice showing for the Bluebirds.

The 9th is WIDE open!

In a sport where everyone makes the playoffs, and for HHS the regular season doesn't even impact seeding for the District Tourney, is the W v L as important as the progress being made? I know everyone wants to win and it feels much better to do so. However, if Houliston throws up a prayer as he is / is not being fouled and it bounces off somebody's head and into the basket as time expires, does that mean HHS is better than Dixie? Even if it did, what does that get you?

 

At this point in the season HHS should focus on getting better each possession, quarter, half, game, week, etc. Suspect they progressed much more in this loss than they did in their win over Bellevue (no shot at Bellevue intended and teams need those games on the schedule for lots of reasons). Sounds like they are ahead of schedule and an exciting team to watch. Looking forward to seeing them play when they have their next home game. I think it is in late February!!!

 

Jan 14th Jpa but Brossart isnt that far. Come out to the Sydome Fri night.

Heard the JV game was a good one too?

1 point contest.

 

Heard the Jr. Branden Buten went off for over 20 points in the contest including 5 or 6 threes!

Shocked I didn't see his name in the varsity box score? The kid has quick feet and a good handle on the ball as well. Is guard play that strong at Highlands where a kid like that does not get in?

His time will come...he's quick as lightning (ASAP Cov. 3 years) but nothing comes easy to little BB .. He has great work ethic ... Gonna be a GREAT employee one day!!

Heard the JV game was a good one too?

1 point contest.

 

Heard the Jr. Branden Buten went off for over 20 points in the contest including 5 or 6 threes!

Shocked I didn't see his name in the varsity box score? The kid has quick feet and a good handle on the ball as well. Is guard play that strong at Highlands where a kid like that does not get in?

 

 

 

A 1 point victory is correct, but that does not tell the story of the game. Buten hit a 35 ft - 3 with time expiring to cut the final margin from 4 to 1. Dixie dominated late in the first half and took a double digit lead to the lockerroom. Austin Schreck (sp) was very good. He was so good that Dixie did not dress him in the second half of the JV game and saved him for the varsity game. He was so good it left me wondering why he was playing JV at all.

 

Buten caught fire in the 4th quarter. He single handily brought the Birds back into the game. Birds lost the chance at the comeback win when then allowed back to back offensive rebounds on missed free throws with less than a minute to play in the game.

The atmosphere at Dixie last night was great.

 

Plenty of fan support for both teams. Each team had a student section up and cheering.

 

Dixie band playing. Music at timeouts and halftime.

 

Like I remember it from back when I was in school. It makes for a much more entertaining evening.

The atmosphere at Dixie last night was great.

 

Plenty of fan support for both teams. Each team had a student section up and cheering.

 

Dixie band playing. Music at timeouts and halftime.

 

Like I remember it from back when I was in school. It makes for a much more entertaining evening.

 

Yes it does..