Camden High School basketball team wins championship game in wake of buzzer beater controversy
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Camden High School's basketball team won its championship game Saturday after a buzzer beater controversy earlier this week that made its way to a different kind of court.
Camden is now the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association's Group 2 champions after a controversial week.
"I'm just happy for my kids. I know it's been a crazy week, a lot of social media stuff," Camden High School Coach Maalik Wayns said.
Wayns is referencing their game Tuesday against Manasquan High School that ended in buzzer beater backlash. Manasquan scored within a fraction of a second from the game's end, but winning cheers shifted to arguments against referees when they said the shot didn't count and Camden ended up winning instead.
"People are talking about the last game, I felt bad for those kids. You know, bad calls happen in basketball," Wayns said.
Manasquan tried to fight the call with the NJSIAA and then appealed it to the Department of Education and the appellate division, but were denied, the NJSIAA saying once officials exit the court, the game is over.
"Good job on the win today. But I think everyone from Camden knows that Manasquan should be here today. It's just, it's not fair," Manasquan High School senior Liam Starkey said.
Manasquan's coach and students showed up to Camden's game Saturday against Arts High School. Liam says the ref's bad call robbed them of a title.
"We would've won tonight, or today. It's just a shame," he said.
After this week, some feel that NJSIAA rules should change.
"Next year, just hope for better refereeing and then see what the league wants to do about it, these type of rules," New York City resident Jeremy Land said.
"Hopefully they'll get it right and maybe they'll change the rules. Next year, they'll do the video right away," Egg Harbor Township resident Mike Bowman said.
Richard King, Camden's former coach of nearly 20 years, says sometimes bad calls like this are just part of the game.
"I've seen calls that I wanted to argue with as a coach that went for us and went against us. You've just got to suck that up," he said.
There was a win Saturday for Manasquan after all; the girls' basketball team won the Group 2 girls basketball state championship against Madison High School.
