A lengthy delay at the high school basketball tournament in Alabama raises concerns about fair play. Crews took more than an hour to measure and adjust the hoops on both ends of the floor if necessary.
What does that mean for the other games that were played?
The good news is that every high school basketball team to play on the court at Legacy Arena in Birmingham had to deal with the exact same conditions. The bad news is that those conditions might not have been up to standard.
Alabama high school basketball nears a conclusion.
The Magic City becomes the center of Alabama high school hoops this week as the AHSAA Final Four takes place from Monday through Saturday night. State contenders from Classes 1A-7A will take the floor at Legacy Arena across six days of semifinal and championship play.
Semifinals will run March 2-5. Finals get underway on Thursday.
Competition got underway on Monday with the first eight games of the Final Four:
- Class 1A Girls Semifinal: Marion County vs. Francis Marion
- Class 1A Boys Semifinal: Hubbertville vs. R.C. Hatch
- Class 1A Girls Semifinal: Winterboro vs. Kinston
- Class 1A Boys Semifinal: Brantley vs. Wadley
- Class 2A Girls Semifinal: Cold Springs vs. Lanett
- Class 2A Boys Semifinal: LaFayette vs. Red Bay
- Class 2A Girls Semifinal: North Sand Mountain vs. Clarke County
- Class 2A Boys Semifinal: Section vs. Providence Christian
All eight of the games were played on Monday as planned.
Just not on time.
Not only does the schedule shift for extended stoppages, overtime, etc., there was a lengthy break for maintenance during the evening session. It stemmed from an undisclosed issue with the playing surface and/or the baskets.
A faulty basket caused a lengthy delay.
North Sand Mountain was supposed to tip off against Clarke County around 6:00 p.m. local time. Warmups did not start until closer to 7:10.
We still don’t know exactly why.
The Bison and Bulldogs were held in the locker room while the Alabama high school basketball officials broke out the measuring tape. They brought down both of the hoops to make sure they were at regulation height and to adjust the rims.
Some dunking earlier in the day jarred the hoops from their designated position. Officials had to make sure everything was up to regulation. The process took more than an hour.
Most of the work focused on the hoop at the south side of the arena. Officials measured its height and the distance between the basket and certain parts of the floor. They also measured the length and width of the court on their own. And then the focus shifted toward the hoop on the north side of the arena.
AHSAA has not yet provided an official reason for the delay. However, it took more than 60 minutes to get players back on the court for warmups.
We’re back! North Sand Mountain’s girls take the court to warm up after over an hour of delay. pic.twitter.com/bCc8efOWqZ
— Thomas Ashworth (@_ThomasAshworth) March 3, 2026
Here’s the thing.
We don’t know exactly how long there was an issue with the hoops or which games were affected. Teams might’ve played on a faulty basket throughout the entire afternoon. A faulty basket can have an impact on scoring. That can have an impact on the final score.
However, if any of the teams that played prior to the stoppage was to file a protest, the AHSAA would likely use the defense of “school choice.” Those teams technically had the choice not to play the game. They did so anyway. Case closed.