I got to ref a couple playoff games on Sunday and they were magnificent. In the first game, The Other Guys jumped out to an 8-0 lead on The Fam and it looked like it would be a blowout. But The Fam settled down, Christian Flores hit a couple threes and it settled into a close game. It became the dream scenario for a playoff game game--a tie score with three minutes to go. Both teams had the lead at one time in those final three minutes and it was again tied with 44 seconds to go. The Fam hit a three and The Other Guys had several good looks at potential game-tying shots, but none fell and The Fam came away with a 47-44 win.
In the second game, Shoot Your Shot held the lead over Hickory for much of the game, but they couldn't break away. Guillermo Bey showed up late and offered no good excuse for his tardiness other than the fact that he lives hasta la quinta ching--no, I can't say that. This is a family publication. He lives far away. He made up for his tardiness by hitting a couple big threes to pull Hickory even. Then, it got weird. Hickory slowly built a lead and the team was up 11 with four minutes to go. Then Shoot Your Shot scored 15 straight points to take a four-point lead with NINE SECONDS LEFT!
Hickory scored, forced a turnover on the inbounds pass, then scored a layup at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. Hickory won in overtime.
In other games, B-Town beat Air Ballers, 61-59, Hawgs beat Team UGLY, 62-59; Chaperones beat Rogue Sharks, 56-63; and Average Joes beat Looney Goons, 57-54.
PLEASE READ
In Journalism, some would consider this to be what is known as "burying the lede." That means having the most-important part of the story down in the middle instead of at the top. I personally don't consider what I'm going to tell you next to be the most-important thing that happened on Sunday. I have no idea why they spell it "lede." And, I'm not a journalist; I'm a writer. Journalists have an ethical duty to stick to the truth. When I write, I get to make stuff up.
We had a fight on Sunday. Not a skirmish or a dust-up. A fight. Multiple people from both teams pushing and shoving. Punches thrown and threats issued. And for no reason. The game was going along fine. It was close and play was semi-physical, but nothing to suggest that it was out of control. Then, one guy held another, the ref called a quick technical foul, and it just exploded. It didn't last long and the team members who were not involved did a decent job of pulling their teammates out of the scrum. But it happened and those involved should be eternally ashamed of themselves. (One team was basically a church team!)
Both teams have been kicked out of the League and the individuals who have been identified in the video are banned for life from the Tucson Basketball League. A couple of the more-aggressive ones will be notified today that they are banned from the building and that if they try to enter for any reason, they will be arrested. That's about all I can do. I wish I could make them wear a scarlet A and the A would not stand for Adulterer.
I've said this before and will continue to do so until I draw my last breath. I just don't get fighting. I would bet my house that there aren't 10 guys out of the hundreds who are in the League who had a tougher upbringing than I did. I got shot twice as a kid (once by a gang member, once by the cops; the cop thing was a mistake on his part, but it still hurt). Twelve of the kids in my fifth-grade class (including two girls) were dead before my senior year of high school. It was a brutal place. But I've never been in a fight. Fighting is stupid and the people who fight are stupid for doing so. Especially on a playing surface (basketball court, football field, baseball diamond). Growing up, the court/field was the place where you never had to worry about violence. It was the oasis in the middle of the bleak desert of Reality.
I'll be honest, a couple times each season, two guys might get heated and harsh words are spoken. But, cooler heads (almost) always prevail. Teammates will step in, refs will issue a stern warning, and often the two guys will feel foolish, apologize to each other, and go back to playing. But, this wasn't that. It was the third fight in the 37 years of the Tucson Basketball League and I'm not happy. Please know that if it ever happens again, the results will be the same--harsh, quick, and permanent. A couple knuckleheads will not be allowed to ruin it for the hundreds of others who show up just to play some ball.
The second half of the first round of the playoffs will take place this Sunday, November 23rd. Good luck to all.