Nebraska High School Basketball Game Ends With Controversy As Losing Coach Protests Goaltending

Lincoln Southwest lost its first high school basketball game of the season against Omaha Westside in Nebraska on Saturday. A controversial goaltending call gave the advantage to the eventual victors.

Rather, it was a lack thereof.

I am of the opinion that the high school basketball officials made the correct decision. The losing coach very much disagreed.

What is goaltending?

Before we go any further, we must first define the call. Goaltending is a violation of the rules in the sport of basketball. It is in place to prevent blocked shots at the rim. A goaltending violation results in points being awarded to the shooting team as if the basket was made.

A goaltend is called when a defensive player illegal interferes with a shot. Defensive players cannot touch the ball on its downward flight toward the basket. They cannot touch the ball while it is above or on the rim. They also cannot touch the rim or backboard during a shot.

The rule was adopted around 1944 to prevent exceptionally tall players like George Mikan and Bob Kurland from standing directly in front of the basket to swat away shots before they went in. Offense was nearly impossible before the goaltending rule came to exist.

Goaltending, for the most part, is pretty easy to officiate. The ball is either on its way up or on its way down. A block is legal if the ball is on its way up. A block is ruled interference if the ball is on its way down.

Lincoln Southwest lost its first Nebraska high school basketball game to Omaha Westside.

As the name implies, Lincoln Southwest High School is located on the southwest side of Lincoln, Nebraska. Omaha Westside is located on the west side of Omaha, Nebraska.

The two schools are separated by approximately 60 miles. They are two of the best high school basketball programs in the Cornhusker State.

The Warriors of Omaha traveled to Lincoln on Saturday with an overall record of 10-2. The Silver Hawks served as the hosts with an undefeated record of 9-0. It was the visitors who came out on top.

Omaha Westside gave Lincoln Southwest its first loss of the season by a final score of 68-63.

However, there was a crucial call at the end of the game that sparked a controversy. Silver Hawks head coach Alex Bahe was irate.

One of his players went up with two feet on a breakaway. A defender got back up the court to swat the ball away from the basket. It was not called goaltending. Bahe thought it was.