Final per Kentucky High School Basketball Twitter.

OK so I thought that I just watched the Holmes Bulldogs upset the Conner Cougars tonight, but wait a minute...not so fast...

 

Here is the game flow as I recall it.

 

Holmes started the game jumping out to an 11-0 lead with most if not all of those game starting buckets scored in transition.

 

Midway through the 1st quarter Holmes was up 17-5, but then Conner ended the quarter on a 10-0 run, and at the end of 1 the Bulldogs were up 17-15.

 

The 2nd quarter began with Holmes responding with a 10-0 run of their own making it 27-15, then doing a pretty good job keeping that lead even when the Cougars looked like they were coming back. Halftime score was something like 36-27 Bulldogs. Might not be exact but I do know that they ended the 2nd quarter with a 9 point lead.

 

Conner battled back in the third, and at one point knotted the game at 40-40, but the Bulldogs extended their lead again to 47-40. I forget the score at the end of the 3rd quarter.

 

With about 2 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, and Holmes up 55-50 and doing their best to finish this game out with a win, Jalen Scott of Conner gets fouled on a shot sending him to the line for 2, but wait a minute…. Holmes gets called for a technical which perhaps someone else could explain because I was too far away from the call to see exactly what had happened. I personally didn’t see a thing, so from my point of view it appeared to be a petty call.

 

Jalen Scott goes to the line for 4 freebies and making all of them, now it’s 55-54. Because of the “T” Conner also had possession, so they inbound the ball near half court and very swiftly take it to the hole and score putting them ahead 56-55, and giving them their very first lead of the game with under 2 minutes to play.

 

Strategically Conner mostly kept the ball in Scott’s hands the rest of the way where he went to the line again numerous times making 100% of his foul shots. Though the Bulldogs gave it their all to salvage this victory they didn’t connect on their shots of desperation, or their foul shots down the stretch, and it was game over with them having the win ripped right out of their hands.

 

Again it really came down to the technical call, and that was without a doubt the Bulldog’s undoing. They really played a great game, and it was painful to watch it get decided by that.

Wow! Very similar thing happened to Ryle in their first game against Cooper this year.

Love to hear what actually happened here. In Ryle's case the ref missed a Cooper player falling down (which the video showed a clear walk), called a phantom foul on Ryle, and T'd up Coach Belcher from 60 feet away for standing up and half removing his sport coat! This was a 2 point game under a minute..the 4 fouls shots and forced foul and 2 made shots ended the game. Let the kids decide these games!! IMO Never except in extreme situations (fighting, out of control coach on floor, etc.,) should the Refs call a T that is going to decide the game.

It,was a game changer for sure, Holmes played a very good,ballgame against a quality team and led almost entire game. It,was the official the fartherest away from Coach Carr who called it, Coach Carr was as asking him to call an illegal pic, it,was a pretty quick technical and pretty much changed the entire game, felt bad for the Holmes players, especially the seniors on their last game at Home. Good luck to Conner, they have a nice team.

Game was actually 56-50 when technical was called. Four free throws, then an and one on the possession. Seven point swing. Holmes coach thought there were multiple illegal screens on the possession, and called for such. Once foul was called, yelled to opposite baseline official to “call the illegal screen!”. T was called. Shocked the official called a technical. Changed the entire game.

Man I wish T's were only called when something is totally out of line. The referees do a great job for the most part but I pay my $3 to watch the players. Totally cost Holmes the game against a great Conner team.

Game was actually 56-50 when technical was called. Four free throws, then an and one on the possession. Seven point swing. Holmes coach thought there were multiple illegal screens on the possession, and called for such. Once foul was called, yelled to opposite baseline official to “call the illegal screen!”. T was called. Shocked the official called a technical. Changed the entire game.

 

Thanks for the clarification of the score at the time of the called technical, and that it was a 7 point swing rather than what I had posted.

It,was a game changer for sure, Holmes played a very good,ballgame against a quality team and led almost entire game. It,was the official the fartherest away from Coach Carr who called it, Coach Carr was as asking him to call an illegal pic, it,was a pretty quick technical and pretty much changed the entire game, felt bad for the Holmes players, especially the seniors on their last game at Home. Good luck to Conner, they have a nice team.

 

Thanks for explaining what the 'T' was all about.

I have to say, first time and probably only time I've ever seen a 7 point possession!

While they looked like winners to me, hopefully this unfortunate way of losing the game puts even a bigger fire in the Bulldogs when it comes time to face the Beechwood Tigers in the 35th District game.

 

These kids fought so daggone hard to pretty much have the victory stolen from them. I know that I’ll eventually get over it, but I even woke this morning thinking what a crock it was for the game to end that way.

 

I appreciate the talent that Conner has, and was very impressed by Jalen Scott, and wish them good luck the rest of their season, but it irks me to no end to see these kids put in the work with every ounce of their being just to have to lay their heads on their pillow at bedtime and think “What the hell?”

 

Fight through the adversity fellas, and know that you’re all winners.