OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute communicated via email an explanation for the decision to suspend the Stryker-Ottoville Division VII regional final on Saturday and complete it on Sunday with 5:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“The decision to suspend the game was made in consultation with the officials and the event staff at Bluffton. Condensation on the floor created conditions that became unsafe for the players and officials,” began Ute.
“The floor was dried over a period of time, when it became [unclear] how long it would take to improve the conditions the game was suspended with 5:44 remaining.
“At the time of the game being suspended there was no evidence that the game could resume under safe conditions at any point during the day.
“Both schools were part of the discussion when determining whether to wait and play later or come back the following day and complete the game.
“The final decision is made by the OHSAA tournament management team and the officials. Safety being the number one determining factor along with fairness to both teams were considered in the decision.
“Bluffton personnel continued working on the air conditioning and the playing surface, obviously the conditions improved once the fans and players were removed from the gymnasium and the air conditioning unit was fixed.
“Once it was determined that play could resume under safer conditions it was not realistic to have the two teams come back and play the remainder of the game after they left the complex. However, it did allow for the two remaining games to move forward on a delay.”