The recent re-match between Myers Park and Richmond, who competed in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A championship game, was cut short due to a leaky roof. This resulted in an unconventional situation of a basketball game being cancelled due to rain.

It was November 21st and there were 2 minutes and 59 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

In the beginning of January, it was declared that the game would not be rescheduled and that Myers Park emerged as the victor with a score of 27-21 (significantly lower than their average score for the year).

What caused this to occur?

I published a column in 2022 for the same purpose – the lack of a “completed game” rule in football and basketball. See a section of the article below:

Football does not have a “completed game” cutoff set by the National Federation of High Schools, unlike other sports. The NCHSAA has the authority to establish one, but the football coaches association has not suggested one yet.
In football, it is expected that once a game has started, it must be completed. This can be achieved by both teams agreeing to accept the current score as the final result, which is a common occurrence. Alternatively, the game may resume on another day, which also frequently occurs.

However, there is no method for both schools to mutually decide to cancel the game if they do not reach halftime and the available make-up options do not work for them.

They are prohibited from mutually deciding to part ways. If one team consents and the other does not, it could result in a forfeit.

Even if the score is tied at 0-0, according to the rules (or lack thereof), the game would still be considered a tie if play does not continue.

Unfortunately, this is not just a disadvantage because other sports have the ability to end a game while football does not. It can also be the most logical solution at times.

As the year progressed, the situation became increasingly convoluted and illogical for both teams to continue playing for the remaining 19 minutes. If Richmond had been in the lead, not resuming the game would have led to a forfeit for Myers Park. However, as Myers Park was in the lead, they were declared the winner with a score of 27-21.

In the end, both teams will not be significantly impacted.

Myers Park is expected to hold the second seed in the 4A West, giving them home court advantage. The fifth round of the playoffs will be held at a neutral site. This game boosted their schedule’s strength and resulted in a victory.

According to projections, Richmond is expected to secure the No. 3 spot in the 4A East division, giving them a potential home court advantage. While they suffered a defeat, their strong schedule may still work in their favor.

This regulation, or rather the absence of one, is the reason why the football match between Chambers and Cardinal Gibbons in 2022 ended at around 1 a.m. on Saturday after being delayed for over three hours.

Therefore, you are aware of the reason why Chambers and Gibbons completed the game in the wee hours of the morning.

As I wrote then:

Although not ideal, it was still better to have both teams wait instead of A) making Chambers drive back and forth between Raleigh or Richmond, Va. multiple times within a short period of eight days, B) losing a game that Chambers was leading by 12 when the game was stopped, or C) forfeiting a game that Gibbons had a lead of 9-0 at one point and ended up losing by only six.

Although uncommon, these scenarios do occur.

However, although uncommon, it appears to continue occurring in some of the most prominent games in the state.

Eventually, we will have to consider the advantages of not having a system in place that permits either team to forfeit the game. While it is not common, basketball games can be interrupted by fans. Similarly, non-conference football games may need to be extended into the late night due to frequent thunderstorms during the early weeks.

You may consider it futile to implement a regulation that only impacts 1-2 games per year.

However, if your school ends up facing a similar situation, you may have regretted not thinking differently.

Source: highschoolot.com