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A buzzer beating shot in a recent high school basketball game in the state of Texas is going viral on social media. That game winner was initially ruled no good before being overturned by officials.
The tip-in has the internet split on the use of instant replay. Should reviews be made legal at the high school level?
The matchup came between North Crowley High School in Fort Worth and Little Elm in Denton County. The two Texas basketball powers entered as Top 5 programs in the state.
Little Elm holds the No. 1 overall ranking while North Crowley sits at No. 4. The Panthers would pull the minor upset over the Lobos on Wednesday night.
North Crowley provided high school basketball drama.
The Panthers traveled to Little Elm and beat them on their home court. They did so at the last possible moment of regulation.
With less than three seconds remaining and the score tied at 67-67, North Crowley inbounded the ball under its own basket. An initial shot was missed, as was an ensuing tip.
A third shot was able to go up and through the net just as time expired.
What a game between North Crowley vs Little Elm tonight. Gotta love high school hoops! pic.twitter.com/Iu5OSQ5rQT
— Tony From Texas (@Tony_Mach1) December 18, 2025
At first look, the officiating crew waved the bucket off. Referees said the shot did not get off in time.
After a brief huddle, that call was reversed.
The play was close. It’s almost impossible to judge in real time. Screenshots circulating social media suggest the wrong call was ultimately made.
Should review be available in high school?
Many debated that topic given the magnitude of the Top 5 contest. The controversial ending only fueled the discussion.
“It counts in high school basketball,” wrote one follower. “In college and the NBA, the replay would show somebody was touching the ball when time expired.”
“No basket!!! Slow the video down its still in his hands when time expires,” said another.
Video replay is not typically available to officials in high school basketball, at least not for regular season contests. In many ways, it’s good. Most notably, games are not prolonged by constant reviews.
In some cases, though, instant replay would be beneficial.
Reviews were recently approved in the state of Maine during certain situations in postseason action.
In 2023, the Maine Principals’ Association approved guidelines to use video replay reviews in certain circumstances during the high school basketball tournament. And as those guidelines have expanded to include more situations, fans have been seeing them put into action for the first time.
Officials can look at replay during the yearly high school basketball tournament to determine if buzzer beating baskets count at the expiration of each quarter and overtime.
Those rules do not apply to regular season action in the Lone Star State.
Would a review have changed the outcome in the Texas high school basketball game between North Crowley and Little Elm? There’s a possibility replay would’ve at least been enough to keep the initial call from being overturned.
We’ll never know. The Panthers improved to 15-2 with the win. Little Elm fell to 14-2.