Starting a sports story by dissecting a key decision by the officials late in a close game is a dangerous proposition. In this case, the mention is warranted because the correct call was made and the Austin Toros gained a 130-127 double overtime win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce as a result.

In that pivotal sequence, the game was tied with under ten seconds left in regulation. Sioux Falls stole the ball, bull rushing toward a potential winning bucket. A first layup attempt by Larry Drew missed and a follow-up attempt by Tajuan Porter was swatted away and two officials called goaltending. With just fractions of a second left if the call stands, the Skyforce likely win the game. The third official saw the ball nick the rim on the way up. At that point, the international goaltending rule applies in the NBADL. The ball can then be diverted by a defensive player.

In real time with a partisan crowd of 3,230 inside the Sanford Pentagon certain of what they saw, those brave souls judged correctly as shown in the highlight clip below. The ball’s trajectory is slightly altered before sent away by former Skyforce center Dexter Pittman. What you will also see in the highlights was a three by Henry Walker that sent the game to the second extra session.

The Toros (14-19) had just a little bit more hustle to grab their own misses in double overtime and victory was their reward. Pittman was a beast in the paint with 28 points and 17 rebounds and the other former Skyforce player who made a triumphant return was Charlie Westbrook who logged 24 points. Sioux Falls (20-14) was led by Walker’s 29 points with 6 rebounds, followed by Justin Hamilton’s contribution of 25 points and 8 rebounds.

The final game in this Skyforce 4-city sequence this week ends in Fort Wayne for a Saturday night tussle. Austin will boogie back to Texas for a home date with Santa Cruz on Sunday.

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