With both the headline and the four-second clip above, you can probably figure out what happened yesterday in Ohio's Division II state championship game. But just for a little added context, the dunker above is Cleveland Central Catholic's Antwon Lillard, whose vicious dunk gave CCC a four-point lead with 42 seconds left over opponent Defiance High School. Unfortunately (from CCC's point of view), it also gave Defiance two shots at the charity stripe courtesy of a technical call. Both free throws were sunk, and another basket sent the game into OT. In the bonus minutes, Defiance outscored CCC 10-6 to take home the title by a score of 49-45.
For his part, Lillard said he hung onto the rim to protect himself (watch Lillard and his coach's full post-game presser here). But that's all moot now. We're sure you already watched the video, so feel free to come to your own conclusions about whether or not the ref(s) should've swallowed their whistle(s). When weighing your decision, consider the fact that this was the freakin' title and not just another game. Also consider that there's been precedent set when it comes to celebrations costing a team a state title.
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