Lane Violation Call in Final Second Ends Season for Kentucky High School WBB Team

The weight of a long Kentucky High School WBB season hung on the shoulders of Lydia Jones. Warren East trailed by two points when she was sent to the free throw line with .5 seconds left in the quarterfinals of the Region 4 Tournament.

Cool, calm, and collected, she sunk the first. With everyone on their feet at Diddle Arena, she buried the second. Fans prepared for free basketball in overtime. Then the official stepped in.

The game-tying free throw was waved off by a lane violation. Metcalfe County defeated Warren East 45-44.

A lane violation? No way! You can’t end a game on a lane violation.

In Kentucky High School Basketball, players lined up just outside of the paint can attempt to get the rebound as soon as the ball is released by the shooter. Players lined up behind the three-point line cannot cross that line until the ball hits the rim. A Warren East player was tagged with the lane violation after crossing the three-point line once the ball was released. Like many of you, I did not know there was a different standard of rules for players lined up beyond the three-point line. Take a closer look:

I had to go back & pull the @sportingtimes video. Per NFHS rules, it’s the correct call. Players outside the 3-point line cannot enter until the ball hits the rim. https://t.co/tPHy3lXcQU pic.twitter.com/Lsi3Pf85Nb

— Brent Thompson (@BrentJT13) March 4, 2025

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Warren East trailed most of the game and nearly pulled off the comeback. Head coach Jenny Neville called a timeout after the play to receive an explanation from the official who called the lane violation.

“These ladies did everything in their power to win a ballgame, and honestly, I feel like we still should be playing. It’s a tough lesson to learn. A tough lesson when you’ve hit a free throw, two free throws, under pressure like that and to get a call and it gets taken away. It hurts,” Neville told the Bowling Green Daily News.

“(The official) said somebody crossed the line. I believe he said Sam (Carver) crossed the 3-point black line, which is not our line. Our line is the white line.”

One might argue that you don’t make certain calls late in games. Others would say the rules are the rules, no matter the time or score.

Nevertheless, that’s one lane violation the Warren East girls’ basketball team will never forget.

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