Springfield’s Jordan D’Ambrosio, right, goes up for a shot against Archbishop Wood’s Nolle Baxter and Lindsay Tretter, left, Saturday at Spring-Ford High. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media)
By Matt Smith
A questionable off-the-ball foul in double overtime Saturday may have prevented Springfield from winning its PIAA Class 5A tournament opener.
Maybe questionable is putting it too lightly.
“Bogus,” said one disgruntled Springfield fan.
The officials sure didn’t discriminate. There were too many head-scratching fouls called against both teams to count. But this one infraction, called on sophomore Rachel Conran as the Cougars were preparing to throw the ball in with less than a minute to play, sparked outrage among Springfield fans and coaches. One question, in particular, was left unanswered: Why would the officials make that call now?
That’s not to say Archbishop Wood, the No. 3 squad in District 12, didn’t deserve to come out with a 51-47 victory over Springfield, the third-place finisher in District 1. It was an exciting, back-and-forth game that neither team deserved to lose.