On the courts…
Prep basketball this evening… the Mapleton Sailors will be in Siletz for a pair of Mountain West League games against the Siletz Valley Warriors.
Pac-12 basketball tonight… Dillon Brooks may be back on the court for the tenth ranked Ducks as they take on the Utes in Salt Lake City. Brooks injured his left ankle last week in a game against Cal. Airtime on KCST is at seven… tipoff at 7:30. Oregon State is in Boulder, Colorado where they’ll take on the Buffaloes at 5:30… the pregame on KCFM is at five.
Shortage of officials causes “crisis point”
The number of referees, umpires and other officials for high school athletics in Oregon has declined by 16-percent in the past five years while the number of games and matches they oversee has grown.
That has created a “crisis point” according to the Oregon School Activities Association and the Oregon Athletic Officials Association.
The two groups issued a joint press release this week saying there have already been game cancellations and rescheduling this year because of the shortage. In Florence last week a pair of varsity basketball games had to be moved from Friday to Saturday because of the shortage.
The OSAA and OAOA say they are making recruitment and retention of game officials a priority. They also say if you are interested in officiating you can contact the athletic director at your local high school. At Siuslaw High School that’s Chris Johnson… in Mapleton that is Aaron Longo.
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