It does not appear Camden High School with be relinquishing its spot in New Jersey’s state-final basketball game on Saturday.
An X account purported to be Will Hickson — Camden’s athletic director — took to X on Friday night and had one simple message.
“See you at Rutgers..” the account wrote with heart emojis along with a picture of the movie poster for the 1989 movie “Do the Right Thing.”
Camden was in the middle of a Tuesday night controversy this week after it held the lead by one point in the waning seconds of the Group 2 of the NJSIAA semifinal against Manasquan High School.
Manasquan had one last gasp, taking the ball up the court and then miraculously put in what appeared to be a game-winning put-back from Griffin Linstra just before time expired.
However, referees converged on the court and decided that the basket did not count, which meant Camden had won the game and would be moving on to take on Newark Arts High School at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Rutgers’ campus.
Replays of the final shot appeared to show Manasquan getting the final shot off in time, and the school tried to appeal in a number of different avenues, which have thus far, been rejected.
On Thursday, the team’s filing to postpone the state title game was denied by an Ocean County Superior Court judge, and on Friday, the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education upheld the officials’ ruling of the controversial buzzer-beater victory, calling the play “not reviewable,” per NJ.com.
Those two decisions came after New Jersey’s high sports’ governing body said that even though one of the on-court officials admitted the final shot should have counted after seeing replays, it could not change the call due to its bylaws.
Camden school district’s attorney, Lou Cappelli Jr., said this week that the extra maneuvers Manasquan has tried in an attempt to get things changed has been “ridiculous.”
“Are we going to go back and look at all 32 minutes of the game and come to the judge and say, ‘Judge, this wasn’t a foul’? It’s ridiculous,” Cappelli said, according to The Asbury Park Press.
“There are rules and regulations. You have to learn to live with the decisions of the referee. That’s all part of sports. Coming to a court to address a referee’s call is outrageous. It’s a waste of the taxpayers’ money and a waste of the court’s time, as well.”
On Thursday, the X account purported to be Hickson’s, posted on X that Camden follows some simple ideals.
“Here at CAMDEN HIGH we like to say… Let the Coaches, COACH! Let the Players, PLAY! Let the Officials, OFFICIATE! Let the Spectators be POSITIVE!” they wrote.
Hickson did not immediately comment when contacted by The Post.
Camden, the No. 2 team in NJ on MaxPreps, will now vie for a title against No. 12 Newark.
