The Knoxville and Eddyville-Blakesburg Basketball squads were all set to play games last night. The girls were out warming up, but that was as far as it got as both varsity games were called off at the last minute due to no officials. There were officials for the JV games, but they did not want to call a varsity game. Knoxville Girls Coach Matt Ritchhart told KNIA/KRLS Sports while disappointing, it is something that cannot be helped.

Ritchhart: “The first thing you do before you get that call, you try to keep as much structure as possible. But what do you do about it, you can’t just magically make refs appear.”

Boys Coach Troy Pearson says in all his years of coaching this is a first for him.

Pearson: “I’ve been coaching multiple levels for 25 years, even at the middle school I’ve never had a game that no one in the crowd was a registered official, and talking with Coach Johnston they officials that were here, were not comfortable with officiating a varsity level game.”

The Panthers and Rockets will figure out a make up and will announce it when it becomes official. Knoxville will close out the pre-Christmas portion of its schedule with a trip to Pella on Tuesday.