[Granny Bear]

Anytime that you have human beings involved in the integral parts of an activity, you are subject to have errors. So you have officials on the floor of a basketball game and officials at the desk operating the clock, scoreboard and possession arrow.

During the Mountain Classic, there were errors in all of these positions. I'm not complaining about any certain thing, but this is just the fact. Pappy and I have watched the entire tournament (thank you WYMT) and I saw the possession arrow wrong a couple of times, many many calls missed on the floor and the score keeper EXTREMELY slow in updating the scores and even clock errors. I understand that the clock keeper is a veteran and honest person. I don't doubt that for one minute. I've worked more basketball tournaments in my lifetime than most, and I never did it perfectly. Errors are just part of being human.

That said, in the game last night, the clock ran a few times when it shouldn't have and was stopped at least twice when it shouldn't have been stopped. As far as the errors in the clock are concerned, this happened in every single game that I watched.

As far as the synchronized horn, clock and lights are concerned, I highly doubt that it is regulated with a high degree of accuracy if at all. This is just another visual part of the game that helps the fans determine what's happening in the game.

Lots of folks are up in arms about last night's game between Cordia and Harlan County. There have been some ridiculous accusations made about WHY the Lions were slighted and the Bears "given" the game. This is all BS. If anyone thinks that HC has connections in Perry County to win a basketball game, then you are an idiot.

Bottom line is simply this. Carmical made a once in a lifetime shot at the buzzer that won the game for HC. Whether or not it was a timely action will probably never be known...because there are too many human factors in the decision.

If you watch the shot in real time, it is absolutely impossible to determine if it was before the time was out. If you watch the shot in slow mo, it appears that the backboard light flashed just before the ball left his hands. So the synchrony of lights, horn, clock is questioned.

The official, whether he is right or wrong, made a difficult call in real time last night. It was a highly charged emotional game for both teams. But the decision was made and is now history.

Cordia thought they had won the game, and celebrated with a high degree of emotion before the ref announced that HC had called a time out. They had to settle themselves down, and play for one more second. When Carmical hit that shot, the HC bench exploded and Cordia fell pretty hard.

I watched them in the congratulation line after the game was over. The Lions went from super duper high to the lowest of the low; but I didn't see one kid act rude or make any sly comments. It may have happened, but I didn't see it.

This speaks to how disciplined and poised both teams are; but especially the Cordia Lions. In a disputed victory, they had the class.