Ohio girls high school basketball team wins playoff game by score of 108-1
The Gilmour Academy girls' varsity basketball team in Gates Mills, Ohio, apparently doesn't believe in the mercy rule.
The Lancers defeated their opponents, Northeast Ohio Prep, Wednesday by a final score of 108-1.
@SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/KK4sb6LbQf
— ZAH GLIZZY (@FirstClass_Z) February 18, 2016
Judging by the end result, it would appear as if Gilmour was displaying poor sportsmanship, but head coach Bob Beutel says that wasn't the case.
"You had to be at the game to really know what transpired," Beutel told FOX Sports Thursday. "We played a good amount of the game with JV and freshman players, we told kids not to block shots and walk the ball up the court. Our two leading scorers only played a quarter and a half."
Interestingly, the Gilmour-NEO Prep matchup wasn't a regular-season game, it was a playoff game -- the sectional semifinal of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III tournament. Gilmour Academy is the No. 1 seed in the tournament, while Northeast Ohio Prep was the No. 13 seed. As the top seed of the tournament, Gilmour had the option to take a first-round bye, but chose to play the lowest-seeded team in NEO Prep. Despite making that choice, Beutel said it was "the type of game where nobody has fun," but he was happy with how his team handled the game.
"We did all the right things in terms of sportsmanship and did nothing to embarrass the other team and their players. I'm proud of my kids and how they conducted themselves."
Heading into halftime, Gilmour led 72-1, prompting Beutel to take a different approach to the team halftime speech.
"I told my team 'you still gotta be fundamental.' We played zone, which is something we never do, so they could get shots up. I said we aren't gonna press and play fundamental basketball. I told them to make sure they handle themselves with sportsmanship.
"We don't want to disrespect the game of basketball or the other team. It's like in baseball, when you're up 9-0 with a guy on first, you don't steal second."
While Beutel said his team did everything they could to allow their opponents to score, Gilmour outscored NEO Prep 36-0 in the second half.
"They went 0-for-28 from the field and 1-for-4 from the free-throw line," Beutel said. "We let them take shots."
Gilmour, one of the top teams in the division, went 17-4 during the regular season, with three of their four losses came in non-conference tournament play. NEO Prep, a small public charter school, went 1-2 this past season.
NEO Prep released a statement in response to thes loss:
"While the final score did not result in our favor, the entire I CAN SCHOOLS network of campuses is extremely proud of the camaraderie and sportsmanship that our team displayed during and after the game. At Northeast Ohio College Preparatory School, our scholars are taught to embody respect, responsibility, and relentlessness. All three characteristics were on display yesterday. We faced an incredibly talented team, and we congratulate Gilmour Academy on their victory and pursuit of a championship."
Beutel said he didn't get the impression that NEO Prep was upset or disappointed in the outcome of the game.
"They don't feel we did anything unsportsmanlike," Beutel said. "I had a talk with the coach after the game and didn't get any negative feedback."
As for a possible solution to avoid lopsided matchups like this in future tournaments, Beutel isn't sure there is one.
"I like that in this tournament, traditionally, everyone has a chance. But if you're in charge of a team where you know you're not competitive, maybe you don't enter the tournament, you don't have to, everyone can opt out. But keeping people out of the tournament, I don't think that's the solution. Every team should have the opportunity to play in it if they choose to."
