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It cost a Jersey Shore boys basketball team a chance to defend its state championship.
And yet, they won't reverse it.
The Manasquan Big Blue and the Camden Panthers played in the Group 2 semifinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) playoffs on Tuesday, Mar. 5. Video from MaxPreps and the Twitter account Hoop Fiends showed the controversial final 5.8 seconds at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township.
With the game tied at 45, Camden senior guard Dustin Singleton hit a free throw to put the Panthers ahead 46-45. Manasquan's Rey Weinseimer received the inbounds pass, took a few dribbles, and hoisted a desperation three-pointer with about 3.1 seconds remaining.
Weinseimer's shot hit the side of the rim but bounced to a wide-open Griffin Linstra, who grabbed the offensive rebound. Linstra quickly put up a shot and the video showed the ball out of his hand with 0.5 seconds on the clock.
The ball went through the hoop after time expired and Manasquan celebrated an incredible 47-46 win. The Big Blue stormed the court and believed they were one win away from repeating as Group 2 state champions.
But the referees disagreed.
Despite one official motioning that the buzzer-beater counted, the referees huddled to discuss the final play. They ultimately ruled Linstra didn't get the shot off before time expired, awarding Camden the 46-45 win and a trip to the Group 2 championship game.
Basketball fans nationwide soon saw the refereeing error and expressed their anger at the call against the Big Blue.
"This wasn't even close," tweeted former Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball coach Mike Rice. "Manasquan got robbed!"
"The trail ref had it correct," Rice said in a second post. "I really hope they suspend the ref that decided to waive it off. Manasquan got robbed!!!
"Absolutely awful that the NJSIAA won't reverse this call," posted Brett Siegel, an NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. "Why do we continue to punish student athletes at all levels for the mistakes of incompetent adults?"
"This basket was waived off, that's INSANE!" posted Rob Dauster, a college basketball writer and podcast host for The Field of 68. "Manasquan was robbed!!!"
Despite the video evidence showing Manasquan's game-winning layup should have counted, the NJSIAA said its bylaws don't allow for video reviews.
"NJSIAA understands Manasquan’s frustration regarding the outcome of last night’s game," the organization said in a statement on Wednesday, Mar. 6. "We never want a contest to end with controversy or confusion.
"Unlike in college or the pros, there is no instant replay review in high school basketball in New Jersey. These are the rules of the game that all schools agree to follow, and which have been upheld on appeal. We apologize to the Manasquan team for the error."
The NJSIAA further explained how the referees came to their decision.
"One of the three officials counted the basket as beating the buzzer," the NJSIAA statement said. "The three officials then met at half court to confer. A second official saw the ball in the shooter’s hands when the buzzer sounded. The officials then waived off the basket. Later, after being shown video clips, the second official agreed the basket should have counted.
"That said, the rules are clear -- once game officials leave the "visual confines of the playing court," the game is concluded, and the score is official. So, while the officiating crews’ reports indicate that a post-game review of footage of the play in question convinced them that the basket should have counted, the results could not then and cannot now be changed."
Manasquan said while it appreciates the NJSIAA's transparency and apology, it will continue to fight for the game's outcome to be overturned.
"It is indeed “frustrating,” however, that the NJSIAA refuses to exercise its discretion to remedy a situation that was so obvious and well-documented," the Manasquan School District said in a Wednesday, Mar. 6 statement. "In our unwavering support of our players, coaches, and families, the district will continue to pursue any available appeals we can to vindicate the values of fair play and integrity that should be the hallmarks of interscholastic athletics."
Camden is set to play against Newark Arts High School in the NJSIAA Group 2 championship. The title game will be on the Piscataway campus of Rutgers at Jersey Mike's Arena.
Tipoff is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Mar. 9.
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