OK, we’re going to need your opinion here. It happened in Riverdale, Utah, where Christian Heritage High School’s girls varsity basketball team beat West Ridge Academy last week, 108-3. The result has ignited a big debate over when, and if, to show mercy in high school sports. Is there any excuse for a 105-point victory margin? And how did West Ridge get those three points? Halfcourt shot at the buzzer?
Seems like it might have been a good day to call off the game and go hunting.
From ABC4.com:
The Crusaders say they weren’t deliberately trying to run up the score on West Ridge, a school for at-risk youth. In fact, Christian Heritage administrators apologized to West Ridge for the 105-point margin. However, McGill said it would have been more disrespectful if he had called off the dogs.
“I have been on the other side of this equation,” said McGill. “It was very insulting when teams slowed the ball down and just passed it around. That’s why I’d rather have a team play me straight up, and that’s why I played them straight up. Because I didn’t want to taunt them, I didn’t want to embarrass them, I didn’t want them to think we could do whatever we want.”
In 2009, Covenant School of Dallas, TX, beat Dallas Academy 100-0 in a varsity girls game, which resulted in all manner of media coverage, including a visit by the losing team to Good Morning America. Covenant actually ended up voluntarily forfeiting the win a few days later.
This result seems to be a bit different, seeing that the winning team only had nine players, and never used a press. But still, there have to be ways to keep your team under a hundred, one would think. That score just doesn’t look good for anyone.
Adding flavor to this stew of controversy is the fact that the winning team is a Christian high school. Is winning 108-3 part of God’s plan? When leading by 60, What Would Jesus Do?
***
Run up the score much? [ESPN]
108-3? Did Christian Heritage do the right thing? [ABC4.com]
-
- BC - Jan 25, 2011 at 2:33 PM
-
They lost by 105 points? Could anyone on their team dribble?
-
- goforthanddie - Jan 25, 2011 at 2:39 PM
-
You can’t tell the “good” team to take it easy, that takes the fun out of playing for them. And “kill” rules are pointless-if one team is so much better, the game shouldn’t be scheduled at all. Just clear the bench and play the game.
-
- rachnoid - Jan 25, 2011 at 2:45 PM
-
It is a COMPETITION where the point is to BEAT your opponent. If the matchup is lopsided, so be it. West Ridge Academy can go home and try to figure out how to be better next game.
The WHOLE point of competing is finding out how you match up to your opponent. If you give it 100% and lose 108-3 than you lost 108-3.
If the other team lets up and plays down to the level of the lessor team WHO WINS? NO ONE. The competition becomes a sham and both teams lose.
There is WAY too much emphasis placed on “feelings” instead of the competition. We are raising an entire generation of kids who EXPECT to win simply because they show up and NOT because they work harder or work longer or are just superior to their opponent.
-
- florida727 - Jan 25, 2011 at 3:10 PM
-
I’ve been involved in basketball at the middle school, high school, college and professional levels in various capacities. I can tell you for a FACT that to score 108 points in a 32 minute high school game (they would have had a running clock for the entire second half) means you’re attacking the basket, and you’re doing it pretty relentlessly.
I know. Some people will say, “Don’t want to get embarrassed? Get better.” But that’s a short-sighted viewpoint. What’s the benefit to your kids winning by 100+ points?
I’ve coached young kids (5th/6th graders) who were so far superior to their opponent, I ran plays for our least skilled players to try and score, NOT allowing our best players to do anything more than set picks and pass the ball. And I’ve spent many a halftime preaching the virtues of winning with class and respecting your opponent.
To bad this team’s coach wasn’t sitting in on my halftime talks. He/she is an embarrassment to the game, his school, and most importantly, to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “What Would Jesus Do” indeed. He certainly wouldn’t have run up the score against a weak opponent.
-
- goforthanddie - Jan 25, 2011 at 3:44 PM
-
Don’t go bringing religion into this. If God had a problem with the game, He would’ve cut the power or something. It would be far more embarrassing to the losers if the winners had just farted around all game and only won by 30. Or should the winning team have just forfeited at halftime, so the crappy team could say they “won”?
-
- weisen45 - Jan 27, 2011 at 4:07 PM
-
I agree with you on the issue at hand. But yes please take your own advice if you are going to write something so ignorant. God has problems with many things in this world and does not intervine… Take your own advice.
-
- dsims7 - Jan 25, 2011 at 3:40 PM
-
Im with florida727, this coach could have done better to handle this situation. These kids, both sides, are just that, Kids. At that age, sports is not about how bad you can someone, it’s learning team social skills and sportsmanship.
-
- brass123 - Jan 26, 2011 at 10:39 AM
-
You want to call them kids now but they want to be considered as adults. High school sports are not just for “learning team social skills and sportsmanship.” That was middle school. HIgh school sports serves two purposes whether you like it or not. First is the entertainment business. Money comes into the school and more people show up if it is a good game. Second is player publicity. The better the players the more colleges look at them and the more scholarships and fame the players get.
In life if you are not the best or you are not pushing to be the best you will get drowned out in the crowd and you will not get anywhere in life. This is the lesson that we teach kids. It is even taught in schools. If you are not the smartest then you will not get into the best school and you will not amount to anything. Why should the basketball game be different? Is it because your kids are mediocre?
I believe that the coach could have handled it differently. At half the coach could have told the team to pass it around and hold the ball as long as possible. There is no shot clock so they could have passed the ball around the entire second half of the game. He was in a bad situation though, damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. I give him props for sticking with his gut decision.
For the losing team, they knew going into the game that they were not the best team and so did their fans. Why should anyone sugar coat the game to make them feel good. They shouldn’t be taught to expect that if you will be given what you want for not being good. If they want to play the sport they should come prepared every day whether it is practice or a game. That is how it is in the business world. If you don’t do your job and can’t keep up, then you will be fired and someone who can do it will be given the job. If the girls can’t take a loss like this then they should quit or get better because it is their fault that they did not prepare enough to take on a team of that caliber.
If you look at the box scores the coach couldn’t do anything. He rotated all of his 9 players and the top scorer only had about 20 points. that means they all probably had double digit points. It is just as bad of sportsmanship to not play your best because then you are making the other team look like fools. From my experience that is something that you only did to those who you did not like.
-
- philiplewis1 - Jan 25, 2011 at 4:26 PM
-
I played on a very good high school team that occasionally had this problem and did not have many players (small school). Our coach had a great solution. He put the big guys in the backcourt and the little guys under the basket and everybody got to play the position they always wanted to try. It really slowed down the offense without anyone having to “pull their punches”. We all had fun doing it, we still gave it 100% and we inadvertently held down the score.
-
- BC - Jan 28, 2011 at 9:32 AM
-
Christian Heritage High just scored again.
-
- thestevemaverick - Feb 1, 2011 at 11:40 AM
-
I think its important to note that West Ridge is not “just” a private school – they are also a residential treatment center so the students on this team and unique. The fact they didn’t quit, kept trying or whatever is a great thing. The two teams play each other again on Feb 6th. Anyone can follow the activity at
