This Just In ...
Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.
100-0
In the state of Wisconsin, under a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) football rule, whenever the point differential between two teams reaches 35 points or more in the 2nd half, there is a running clock that only stops after a score, a charged timeout, the end of the 3rd quarter, or a serious injury, as long as the margin remains 35 points or greater. If the margin becomes less than 35, the game resumes with the regular clock rules.
It’s a very good rule because it helps to avoid unnecessary injuries, or even fights out of frustration from breaking out.
No such rule exists in basketball. And so, you get high school games in Milwaukee like these last night reported in the Journal Sentinel:
GIrl's games
• In the City Conference, Milwaukee King opened with a 52-1 run en route to a 69-7 drubbing of Bradley Tech. King didn't allow a single point in the first half and led, 36-0, at the break.
• Milwaukee Custer kept Milwaukee Ronald Reagan scoreless in the first half of a 58-26 blowout.
Boy’s game
• Destiny scored 34 unanswered points in the first quarter of its 94-28 shellacking of Wisconsin Career Academy. Destiny sprinted to a 55-7 halftime lead.
Those games are nothing compared to what happened in Texas. The Associated Press reports:
“Last week, Covenant, a private Christian school in Dallas, defeated Dallas Academy 100-0. Covenant was up 59-0 at halftime.
A parent who attended the game said 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 coach Jeremy Civello told the Dallas Morning News that the game turned into a ‘layup drill,’ with the opposing team's guards waiting to steal the ball and drive to the basket. Covenant scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and ‘finally eased up when they got to 100 with about four minutes left,’ he said.
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. The academy boasts of its small class sizes and specializes in teaching students struggling with ‘learning differences,’ such as short attention spans or dyslexia.”
I don’t blame the Covenant girls, but I certainly have a major problem with their coach who allowed this to happen. There are actions the coach can take to prevent this shameful debacle.
Take out your starters.
Call off the full court press.
Stop shooting three’s.
On offense, pass that ball around, a lot.
Ask the officials and the opposing coaches if they would agree to a running clock in the second half.
The Covenant coach should be ashamed of himself. He is a horrible instructor and role model.
I don’t want to hear the argument that the object of the game is to play hard and win. That’s garbage. The outcome of this game was decided when Covenant walked into the gym.
And this isn’t the WNBA or college basketball.
Other coaches, I'm sure, are taking note of what Covenant did. I wouldn’t feel sorry if some other team waxed Covenant the same way they plastered Dallas Academy.
Here’s more on the story from ABC News.
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