A Connecticut high school apologized after it’s girls basketball team blew out an opponent by 88 points.
Sacred Heart Academy of Hamden, Connecticut, beat Lyman Hall-Wallingford Monday with a final score of 92-4. In a statement, the Sacred Heart’s president said, “Sacred Heart Academy values the lessons taught and cultivated through athletic participation including ethical and responsible behavior, leadership and strength of character and respect for one’s opponents. Last night’s girls’ basketball game vs. Lyman Hall High School does not align with our values or philosophies,” The Associated Press reported.
Lyman Hall’s coach described his team as “pressed” for most of the first half to WTIC.
The school reached out to the Southern Connecticut Conference, and notified other schools in the conference that their coach had been suspended for one game.
There is no mercy rule in Connecticut high school basketball, The Associated Press reported.
Now that raises a lot of questions. How do you tell your players to give a full effort every game, and then tell them to hit the brakes when you have a comfortable lead? Where do you draw the line? 90 point lead, 70 point lead? What happens when parents start complaining about 40 point leads? Why didn’t the opposing coach tell his players to run out the clock? What business did that team have being on the same court if the mismatch was that great? This sounds like this should have been the responsibility of the schools to initiate a mercy rule in the first place if they wanted to coddle these kids.