[Stardust]

High school apologizes for 100-0 blowout

http://www.kentucky.com/808/story/668855.html

By Jeff Carlton - Associated Press DALLAS — A high school girls basketball team that beat an opponent 100-0 has a case of blowout remorse.

The winning school now says it wants to do the right thing by seeking a forfeit and apologizing for the margin of victory.

"It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened," the head of the school said Thursday on The Covenant School's Web site. He added that Covenant has made "a formal request to forfeit the game recognizing that a victory without honor is a great loss."

Covenant, a private Christian school in Dallas, defeated Dallas Academy 100-0 last week. Covenant was up 59-0 at halftime.

A parent who attended the game told The Associated Press that Covenant continued to make three-pointers — even in the fourth quarter. She praised the Covenant players but said spectators and an assistant coach were cheering wildly as their team edged closer to 100 points.

"I think the bad judgment was in the full-court press and the three-point shots," said Renee Peloza, whose daughter plays for Dallas Academy. "At some point, they should have backed off."

Dallas Academy has eight girls on its varsity team and about 20 girls in its high school. It is winless over the last four seasons.

There is no mercy rule in girls basketball that shortens the game or permits the clock to continue running when scores become lopsided. There is, however, "a golden rule" that should have applied in this contest, said Edd Burleson, the director of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Both schools are members of this association, which oversees private school sports in Texas.

Covenant head of school Kyle Queal said school officials met with Dallas Academy officials to apologize and praised the Dallas Academy players for "strength, composure and fortitude in a game in which they clearly emerged the winner."