There’s controversy in the world of Missouri high school basketball, and it’s something straight out of a Disney Channel movie. Parents and coaches of opposing teams are claiming that Dora High School swapped free-throw shooters after fouls and never got caught by officials. Why? Because three of the team’s five starters are triplets.
Over the weekend Dora won the Cabool Tournament Championship, beating Licking High School, 64-62, meaning that a correct free-throw shooter here or there could have been the difference. A video shows that number 34, Auston Luna, get fouled and swapped out with his brother Bryson, wearing number 20, who takes the shot while his fouled brother sat on the bench.
This would have been a technical foul according to the rules if the refs had caught it. But since the game was already played, there's not much they can do about it. The only provision for changing the result of a game is if a player is ruled ineligible, not incorrectly swapping at the free throw line.
Now there's an investigation by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) to see if the team employed the triplet-swapping free-throw tactic in their games prior to this one. Although they admit, there's not much they can do about it. Dora head coach, athletic director AND the triplets’ father Rick Luna said the swap was not planned and was not intentional. They also say it had no bearing on the outcome of the game.