Last night Colo Nesco beat Meskwaki by 5 which was a hell of a game and good one to watch. Passionate fans on both sides of the gym! I have read more than a handful of posters say Meskwaki's record is inflated or they're overrated, but CN plays the same schedule as Meskwaki, yet they were ranked five spots ahead. What's the justification there? Not a complaint, but a serious question.
Last night, Meskwaki was the better team on the court. And I've never been the one to cry wolf or put the blame on others and usually look at missed opportunities more then anything, but the officiating was not good at all to say the least. Yes, Meskwaki presses. Yes, Meskwaki plays aggresive. But, there were multiple times the refs had made beyond questionable calls, and ultimately started to anticipate a call. Here are a few numbers..
CN Team Fouls: 11 Meskwaki Team Fouls: 28
CN Free Throws M/A: 20-39 Meskwaki Free Throws M/A: 7-8
Marshalltown Times Republican had the teams fouls --- CN: 9 & Meskwaki: 28
3 of 5 starters fouled out for Meskwaki, and 1 was in the 3rd quarter. Anyone at the game could tell you who the better team was, and I'm trying to be unbiased as possible, but it's hard to deny the fact that the officiating was no where near good or even decent. I have never said after a game, "Oh yes, I can't wait to go back to that gym because they have good refs", or anything of that sort and no one ever has. Because, no matter what, there will always be someone that disagrees with a ref's call, but last night there were one too many that shouldn't have been called or were called due to the anticipation of a foul.
There were a few instances where a Meskwaki player went to block a shot, but didn't touch the player. And yes, I was standing the entire game and had a good angle. No body, no arm, nothing. But, by all means, it was a great game and both teams played their tails off! Just hated leaving the gym with the taste in my mouth that it was 5 vs. 8 on the court. Cannot wait for the second matchup between the two teams on Feb. 13th. It will be another good game in Meskwaki's gym. So, take the numbers from the game and judge for yourself, but understand that if you were at the game, you could understand my full point of view. Go Warriors!