LITTLE ROCK — There was some debate as to what was the final score.
At the end of Monday’s late game of the Little Rock Girls Basketball Invitational Tournament, the scoreboard read “84-0,” but the official scorebook had the winning team’s point total at 88.
There was no debating that Little Rock Hall’s lopsided victory over Little Rock Fair was anywhere near competitive.
“I was a witness to the game and I must say it was a unique situation,” Little Rock interim Athletic Director Junious Babbs said.
Hall, with three returning starters back from last year’s 23-6 team, scored seconds after the opening tip. Three-and-a-half minutes into the game, the Lady Warriors were ahead 28-0.
By halftime, Hall’s advantage had swelled to 58-0.
It was the first game of the season for both teams.
“I was shocked by the score,” Hall Coach Selita Farr said. “But I had talked with [Fair] Coach [Shirley] Goodnight before the game, and we knew it was going to be a tough situation for her team. It’s unfortunate Fair had to play a senior-laden team while they are so inexperienced.”
Fair lists 11 players on its roster, which includes four freshmen and only one senior. None of the girls are taller than 5-8. The Lady War Eagles were even more short-handed Monday, listing only six players in the scorebook.
By contrast, Hall has eight seniors on its roster. Two of them — 5-8 guard Tyler Scaife and 6-4 Katelyn Weber — are scheduled to sign Division I basketball scholarships later this week.
“I’ve been there,” Farr said. “I’ve had teams where all we had were youth and inexperience. I can sure sympathize and empathize as to what they are going through.”
Fair has struggled the past several years, with no victories since the 2008-2009 season. Hall has been on the upswing the past three years, having shared a conference championship in 2010 and advancing to the state semifinals last March.
Minutes into Monday’s game, Farr told her players to defend only the area inside the three-point line.
“I told our girls to ‘play soft,’ and that’s something I don’t like to do,” Farr said. “I don’t like to ask kids to turn their game on and off like that. ... This was our first game and we were tired of practicing against each other. We wanted to play against someone else.”
The majority of Fair’s possessions ended with either a turnover or a Lady Warriors steal. What shots the Lady War Eagles managed to get were from long distance.
There were only 12 fouls called in the game and Fair attempted only four free throws. Hall was content to allow Fair take an uncontested layup at the end of the game, but the Lady War Eagles failed to convert.
A running clock, which is usually reserved for the final eight minutes of run-away games, started late in the first half. Even with a continuous clock, Hall continued to pile up the points.
Despite the freakishly large outcome, the game was not state record for margin of victory. According to the Arkansas Activities Association’s record book, Palestine-Wheatley recorded a 123-6 victory over Marvell on Jan. 5, 1999.
However, there have been a few recent lopsided girls games that have gained national attention. In 2009, a Dallas school called The Covenant School defeated Dallas Academy 100-0, and last season, Christian Heritage High School in Utah defeated West Ridge (Utah) Academy 108-3.
Monday’s late game final score was not the only blowout of the tournament. Defending Class 6A champion Little Rock Parkview rolled to a 71-17 victory over Little Rock McClellan earlier in the afternoon.
“When you have a No. 1 seed vs. a No. 8 seed, the bracket sometimes leads to vast disparities,” said Babbs, who said the teams and brackets were already determined before he was selected as the district’s interim athletic director. “Should we call games at the half when the game is lopsided? I think that’s something that needs to be addressed in any activity.”
Fair will hope for a more positive outcome in the tournament today when it plays Malvern in a consolation game at 5:30 p.m.
Sports, Pages 21 on 11/14/2012