Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

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Dear Editor:

This letter is in reference to the write up in your February 17 edition covering the Ouachita/Gurdon game. I'm sure your readers found her colorful rendition entertaining, but I would think a sports writer for a newspaper would be more objective and accurate.

As to Coach Owens "throwing a big fit" and "stomping like a bull with a rope around it," I'm sure he was upset-it's hard not to be when you feel your team is getting the shaft. At least he did not pound the score keepers table four times with his fist, like the Gurdon coach, and run out on the court and grab players. It seems Ms. Cooper practices selective reporting.

To the accuracy, the technical foul in the last minute of the game was called on one of the players. When Coach Owens asked what was said to cause the foul (which a coach not only has the right but the obligation to do) he was not told. When he asked again, then he received a technical foul.

Yes, we did stay around for about 45 minutes, but it was not to "fuss and see if the officials would change their minds magically." It was to insure the safety of our players. You see as they left the court, not because the game was over (there was still time on the clock), but because the referees walked off, they were met by the same referees who used abusive and foul language directed at our players. It was definitely a night we will remember-but not fondly, I am sorry to say.

Sincerely,

Barbara Saunders

Donaldson