Louisiana basketball games canceled when officials refuse to work

A work stoppage by basketball officials disappointed over failure to receive a pay raise led to the cancellation of numerous boys and girls games throughout the state last week.

At least 10 of the state's 14 basketball officials associations refused to call games one day last week when more than 40 games in the Baton Rouge area alone were canceled. Zachary and Denham Springs were the only area teams to play with Brandon Watkins scoring a team-high 20 points to lead Denham Springs to a 60-56 victory.

"It was a completely lost week," said Minden boys coach Alan Shaw, whose team went nine days between games after two were cancelled last week.

An emergency meeting of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association finally sent the officials back to work. LHSAA member principals recently rejected a pay-raise proposal for the officials, who are believed to be among the lowest paid nationally.



State basketball officials received their first pay raise in 15 years in 2007 and were scheduled to realize an additional $3 increase every other year through 2012. Those planned pay raises never materialized, however.

Proposed raises would lift pay for registered officials from $33 to $35 per game, approved officials from $34 to $37 and certified officials from $36 to $45.

BASTROP, AVOYELLES GIRLS REMAIN UNDEFEATED
Bastrop and Avoyelles (Moreauville) remain the only undefeated girls basketball teams ranked in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Top 10 polls.

Bastrop leads the Class 4A poll at 23-0, while Avoyelles is first in Class 3A with an identical record. Both were unanimous No. 1 selections.

Southwood (Shreveport) is the leader in Class 5A at 29-1, while Aquinas (Hammond) is the unanimous No. 1 choice in Class 2A with a 26-2 record.

Arcadia unanimously holds down the top spot in Class 1A at 20-5, while Fairview (Grant) is the unanimous selection in Classes B-C at 35-2.



MaxPreps' Louisiana girls basketball Freeman Rankings

MANDEVILLE SOCCER FORFEITS SHOT AT PLAYOFFS
Mandeville missed a chance to return to the boys soccer playoffs after the Louisiana High School Athletic Association forced the Skippers to forfeit three victories for having used an academically ineligible player.

The setback dropped Mandeville to fifth place in District 7-1 at 6-8 and eliminated it from consideration for a wild-card spot. Mandeville was fined $150 in addition to forfeiting wins over Slidell, Ponchatoula and Hammond.

Northshore (Slidell) forfeited three games, as well, for using an ineligible player but finished third in the district at 9-5 and earned a No. 5 seed for the playoffs that began last week. Northshore defeated Central Lafourche (Raceland) in its opening-round match, 3-0.

Highlighting first-round action was Connor Miller's hat trick as University Lab (Baton Rouge) defeated Riverside Academy, 7-1, in Division III-Classes 3A and below. Miller scored all three of his goals in the first half