It's final: Manasquan High School buzzer-beater that got overturned will remain

Editor's note: The story in the video player originally aired on Tuesday.

MANASQUAN, N.J. (PIX11) -- The buzzer-beater victory that became a defeat will remain a defeat.

It's a sad result for the boys' varsity basketball team at Manasquan High School, which has had a tumultuous week. On Friday afternoon, Manasquan Schools Superintendent Frank Kasyan confirmed that the New Jersey acting commissioner of education, Kevin Dehmer, declined to overturn the controversial decision from the semifinal game that the boys' team had played Tuesday evening.

In that game, Manasquan took a shot to the basket that made it into the hoop just before the final buzzer. Many videos of that moment confirm that the shot was good, and the referee overseeing the play declared it so. But a moment later, all three referees on the court conferred and overturned the first referee's decision, awarding the win that had belonged to Cinderella team Manasquan to their much more seasoned rival, Camden High School. It sparked a firestorm of reaction at the game, which spread far and wide across the internet and other media.

On Friday, though, Manasquan Superintendent Kasyan said in an interview, "We wish them luck," regarding Camden, as it heads to the state championship game in Division 2. The game will be played on Saturday afternoon at Rutgers University.

The Manasquan School District took its case to court in Ocean County on Wednesday. There, a superior court judge ruled that the court had no jurisdiction to intervene in the championship game. Manasquan's superintendent said that his district's attorneys have appealed that decision, but it's not expected to be changed.

On Saturday, there will be a Manasquan team in a state championship game, however. The girls' varsity team plays at 11 a.m. Saturday. The boys' game follows at noon.