CORRECTABLE ERROR AND POINT OF INTERUPTION!

I had this happen in one of my games.  It underscores, at least for me, the importance of making sure you are mentally awake, and determined to get the call right.  In the ebb and flow of any game, sometimes things can happen, and doing the wrong thing makes sense.  Read the post, and decide for yourself, have you ever had to get this call right.

NFHS BASKETBALL CASEBOOK, p. 10; 2.10.1 SITUATION E:
A1 is fouled.  The scorer informs the official that Team B has committed ten team fouls and that the two-free-throw penalty is in effect.  The official administers the free throw and states and indicates "two" throws.  The first free throw is unsuccessful and the second is successful.  B1 has the ball out of bounds for the throw-in.  The scorer informs the official that there were only nine team fouls on Team B and that the penalty should have been one and one.

So, what do you do?  I mean besides wondering if the official scorer can count.  The situation calls on you to be very familiar with the concepts of both correctable errors and point of interruption.  And, it is of supreme importance, in this situation as described, that we apply what we know in exactly the right way.

So, before I go further, what do you do with the free throws? And, what is the point of interruption?

First of all, you know that this situation of awarding an unmerited free throw is a correctable error.  But, are you really clear as to the timing of the correction?  We must first determine the time frame of the sequence of events.  B1 has the ball out of bounds for a throw in, and your partner has the count.  The scorer is yelling/signaling that there is a concern to be addressed.  Are you going to blow the play dead?

Yep, as a matter of fact the error is discovered within the correctable error time frame.  So you correctly blow the ball dead, then get the crew together to talk about things.  Now, you discuss the play.  You know the free throw is canceled.  Why?  The, second free throw was an unmerited free throw attempt.  You granted/indicated two, but it should have been a one-and-one.  AND, the first free throw was missed.

Now, the real test comes.  What is the point of interruption?  Is it the B1 throw in?  NO it is not!  In this situation, the second free throw is canceled.  The error was the two free throws instead of the one-and-one.  The first free throw was missed.  So, your point of interruption, by rule, is a missed free throw. 

Now, what do you do?  We have a point of interruption as a missed free throw.  Who gets the possession?  Here is the ruling:  The error is discovered within the correctable error time frame, and shall be corrected.  The second free throw is canceled and play is resumed at the point of interruption.  Since "no goal" has been scored, play is resumed with an alternating-possession throw-in at a spot nearest to where the ball was located when the stoppage occurred. (2-10-1b; 2-10-6; 4-36-2c)

So, now we have it. we got the time frame, the correctable error, and the point of interruption all in the right order nice and neat!  And, if my experience is any judge, we have some conversations going on with coaches to help them understand why we took a way a point, and went to the arrow for the possession.

Now for you really smart ones out there-Where is the "spot nearest to where the ball was located when stoppage occurred?"