Girls Basketball Blowout, 125-13, Results In Controversy, Teams Respond
A girls basketball game ended up in a 125-13 blowout and landed the winner in hot water. Many people complained the winning coach should not have continue to humiliate the losing team. Is the criticism valid?
The Holy Redeemers Royals girls basketball team came into the game with a 11-1 record for the season, scoring an average of 70-points per game, according to a report in the Times Tribune. Their opponents, the MMI Prep — made up of seven players, including four freshman — on the other hand, had a dismal season, with a 1-13 record and an average of 20-points in three league games.
When the two teams clashed on Monday, the result was to be expected to a certain extent. However, Holy Redeemer crushed MMI Prep in a 125-13 humiliating victory that has created controversy on social media.
Not only social media, but the phone lines and email in-boxes were set on fire with complaints, accusing Holy Redeemer of not letting up in the face of overwhelming scoring against an obviously weaker opponents. However, the girls basketball coach is now speaking out and defending his decision to press on.
Holy Redeemer coach Chris Parker issued a statement via email to local TV station WYLN.
“I don’t feel I owe an apology for my girls playing the game. By no means am I trying to embarrass anyone. My girls practice hard every day and deserve to play not sit half of the game. We are competing for a district title and possibly a run in state tourney. I have a responsibility to my kids to prepare them the best way I can.”
Some of the Holy Redeemer girls felt compelled to take to social media and apologize for the lopsided victory despite the coach’s decision to pull the starters after the gap became obviously impossible to overcome for MMI Prep.
Players from the opposing girls basketball team also had something to say about the blowout on Twitter.
The coaching staff of the Holy Redeemer girl’s basketball team makes me sick. To run up a score past 100 points is so unnecessary.
— Kristen Purcell (@stenandjerrys) January 13, 2015
During their regular afternoon practice, MMI Prep’s coach, Patty Medvecky praised her girls basketball team, which calls itself “Seven Strong,” despite the blowout they suffered.
“I say, to their credit, they’re here every day. They choose to be here. We knew from the beginning of our season that we were going to have seven players and they chose to be part of that team and support the school and represent their school. I think that they’re doing a very good job representing our school and I’m proud of them.”
“I’m just proud of us because not one person who came to the game last night can say that we gave up that entire game. We played our hearts out,” said MMI captain Rachel Stanziola. “I’m proud of every single one of us on this team.”
Many are expressing their thoughts on this and another girls’ basketball blowout in Southern California where the victor took the game by 161-2. Such was the case with Declan Reiner Henneberry on this Facebook post responding to a question about whether there should be a points cap for High School basketball games.
“Seriously? A points cap in spots? That’s teaching a lot. ‘Don’t worry guys, you can’t go over 37 points in a game, so we won’t lose that bad’ I swear, soon this country is going to be run by kids that never learned how to actually do anything because someone else has always been there to do it.”
Do you think that High Schools should place a points cap on girls high school basketball games to prevent blowouts such as these?
[Image via Twitter]
