Ever notice how the adjectives used to describe statistics marking rare sports performances often don’t really seem to make sense?

For example, I read an online story about Chino Hills, Calif., sophomore LaMelo Ball scoring an “insane” 92 points as his team beat Los Osos 147-123 last week.

That is certainly a lot of points, but I don’t know what makes them “insane.”

I have to stand somewhat corrected on this. Language usage changes with time. And if we go by the dictionary, the word “insane” has become officially recognized in one definition as meaning “astonishingly good or impressive; amazing.”

OK, fine … (but don’t get me going on “amazing.”)

Personally, though, I think “insane” works as a modifier for these particular 92 points because of another definition of the word: “extremely foolish.” Synonyms include idiotic, stupid, silly, senseless, nonsensical, absurd, ridiculous, ludicrous, lunatic, preposterous, fatuous, inane, asinine, harebrained, and half-baked.

Take your pick; I think most of those are fitting, too. I particularly like ludicrous, ridiculous and preposterous.

Before we go further, let me be clear: I’m not criticizing or hating on an obviously talented 15-year-old high school sophomore.

I agree with what Los Osos coach Dave Smith told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin after the game.

“I would never take anything away from what the kid did,” Smith said. “The kid did what he was told to do.”

That last sentence is the crux of the matter, right?

“The kid did what he was told to do.”

Apparently, LaMelo’s coach and his dad approve of cherry-picking at halfcourt and beyond, including a lack of defense that would make Steve Nash and James Harden shake their heads.

That’s what anyone could see on video. According to Smith, there was more:

“There are parts of the equation when it comes to sportsmanship and integrity where I have the problem,” he said. “Things like their entire team rushing the court after a dunk. Things like stopping the clock with fouls in the last 30 seconds just so the kid can get more shots. Things like having other kids in the game and they’re told not to shoot and for them to just throw him the ball. That’s where I have the problem.”

Sure, Smith does sound bitter. And there is some validity to the argument of, “Hey, if you don’t like it, do more to stop him.”

But one positive in that regard is that Los Osos didn’t stoop to the nuclear option of some very hard fouls that could lead to a brawl. Things could have gotten pretty nasty.

As I watched video of that game, I wondered how many points a certain Hawaii high school great might have scored if he were let loose and enabled like Ball.

Derrick Low played in an extremely deliberate offense at ‘Iolani, which frustrated opponents and fans. Low was so good the Raiders probably would’ve won nearly all of their games regardless what style of play they used. As it turned out, in Low’s four years as its leader, ‘Iolani went 101-4 against Hawaii competition, including three state championships.

Low was as humble as he was spectacular, in some ways a basketball version of Marcus Mariota.

Our culture prides itself on empathy. But that doesn’t mean it’s always reflected in sportsmanship. The latest example of “needs improvement” comes from last week’s state soccer championships.

A program that is not used to playing in state tournament games outside of the winners’ bracket found itself in what it considered a meaningless game.

Instead of normal warm-ups, the players of this team loosened up by tossing around a flying disc and, how appropriately, playing sham battle. They didn’t take things much more seriously once the game started.

It is fair to question the value of state tournament consolation games, and those in third- and fifth-place brackets. While these games do exist, though, if a coach lets players turn them into a mockery it’s a poor reflection on their program and disrespectful to all involved.

When “the kid did what he was told to do” — or was allowed to do — it might seem like harmless fun at the time. But all it does is cheapen an event and turn a teachable moment into a wasted opportunity.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.