Cleveland Central Catholic lost the Ohio Division II State Championship to Defiance High School, due in part to a controversial call in the final minute of the game.
With 42 seconds left, Cleveland Central’s Antwon Lillard drove the lane and delivered a violent two-handed dunk to put his squad up four. The momentum from his monster slam caused him to swing toward the baseline, still clutching the rim.
That’s when the referee hit Antwon for a technical foul for hanging on the rim. In high school and college hoops, it is illegal to hang on the rim unless you are protecting yourself from a vicious fall or an unprotected player beneath you.
Regardless, Defiance was awarded two shots, converted on both, and maybe more importantly, dispelled of any momentum generated from the dunk.
Defiance then went on to score another hoop, tie the game, and take the game into overtime, where they outscored Cleveland Central 10-6, cementing a 49-45 victory.
Watch the video below and decide for yourself if the right call was made at such a critical point in the game.
You gotta swallow the whistle on that one, zebra. I didn’t get a good look at the referee who called it, but I sure as hell can venture a guess as to who it was…