Do over: Spartans, Vikings at odds

The controversial final seconds of a recent Frontier League boys' basketball game may have to be replayed.

South Jefferson beat host Thousand Islands 76-75 on a last-second shot in a crossover game on Jan. 20. That basket, however, came after the clock horn went off prematurely following a time-out while Thousand Islands was inbounding the ball with three seconds remaining and leading by a point.

When the horn went off, the officials blew their whistles to stop play. After conferring at the scorer's table, they deemed it an inadvertent whistle, which required a jump ball. South Jefferson had the possession arrow, and was awarded the ball at midcourt. Akeebu Lettsome then made a lay-up with .8 seconds remaining for the winning points for the Spartans.

Thousand Islands protested the ruling to the Frontier League, claiming it should have been awarded possession, not the Spartans. At a subsequent Frontier League protest committee hearing, it was decided that, indeed, the Vikings were correct and entitled to the ball at midcourt where the ball was when the clock sounded.

"The issue was discussed thoroughly by both sides,'' said Frontier League executive director Bob Kowalick. "It was the opinion of the protest committee that the officials working the game had misinterpreted the rule. Out of three scenarios discussed, two awarded the ball to Thousand Islands.''

To the naked eye, it was hard to determine whether any player had touched the ball, or any player had possession when the horn went off. The protest committee was not allowed to look at a film of the final seconds, according to Kowalick. "You can only protest the rule, not a judgment call by the officials," he said.

After the Thousand Islands protest was granted, South Jefferson appealed to Section 3. Their appeal will be held in the Section 3 office in Liverpool on Wednesday, according to South Jefferson athletic director Scott Connell.

If that appeal is denied, Kowalick has told the two schools to make arrangements to replay the final three seconds. "Whether they do that is up to them," he said.

The outcome of that game will have no affect on the final Frontier League standings because both South Jefferson and Thousand Islands have already clinched their respective divisions. However, another win or loss by either team could enhance or hurt that team's sectional seeding.

IHC HOOPS TO CLASS C

Immaculate Heart Central has another beef with Section 3. This time, it's about the Cavaliers' class placement for the boys basketball sectionals.

IHC athletic director and boys basketball coach Mike Delaney was under the assumption that the Cavaliers were a Class D school for this basketball season. The school's enrollment this year in grades 9-11 is 190, which places them under the Class D cutoff mark.

However, a recent memo put out by the Section 3 basketball committee stated IHC was still a Class C school for boys basketball as they had been last season.

Their reason: Since the private schools in Section 3 are classified every two years, this was the second year of such a classification, and IHC did not qualify to move down a class just because their enrollment dropped below the Class C cutoff point.

Two years ago, the Section 3 basketball committee tried to move IHC up to Class B even though it was a Class C by the numbers. That motion was defeated.

By Delaney's reading of the Section 3 bylaws, that means IHC reverted back to whatever classification its enrollment numbers dictated. Which this year should be Class D.

"Their interpretation is that you are 'trapped' in a class for that two-year period no matter what," Delaney said. "We don't believe that is correct."

IHC has again appealed that ruling, as it did with the Section 3 classification committee's recent vote to move the Cavaliers from Class D to Class C in football. That appeal was eventually denied.

Boys basketball has its sectional seeding meeting on Feb. 14, so the matter must be clarified before then.

Delaney pointed out another factor. The IHC boys soccer team was allowed to play in Class D this past fall even though it, too, was in Class C last year.

"I guess they didn't care (if we played down a class) because we didn't have a good record," saidDelaney of the 4-13 team.