Over-charged

The highest percentage shot in basketball is a layup. It is a scoring opportunity that is coveted by the offense, and it is the last shot you want to give up on defense.
Unless a player is on a fast break transition drive to the basket, or if there is a breakdown on defense, the odds are pretty good that if he or she is going up for a layup, there will be a foul called.
The question is whether that call will be a blocking foul on defense, or a charging foul on the offense.
A charge is called when the contact is illegal due to the offensive player pushing, moving or running into/over a defensive player who has established position and remains stationary. If a charge is called, it counts as both a turnover and a personal foul against the offensive player.
As the game has become increasingly faster and more physical, we see players driving hard to the rack more and more. Athleticism can show itself when players demonstrate great body control by getting by a planted defender in the air, but often there is a collision between players under the basket.
Officials are tasked with determining which player has committed a foul, and this decision can be a difficult one to make due to the speed with which the action plays out.
Unfortunately, these types of collisions can and do result in injuries to players. As such, in 1997 the NBA instituted a restricted area semi-circle under the basket in order to alleviate the risk of injury in these types of game situations. 
The semi-circle is four feet in diameter with its apex three feet from the center of the basket. If contact is made between an offensive player and a defender within the semi-circle, a blocking foul is called and free throws are awarded to the player with the ball.
In 2009, college basketball began to toy with the idea of adding the restricted area semi-circle, and after a couple of tries, the NCAA opted to implement a three-foot wide semi-circle in the 2011-2012 season. If a defender even has a foot inside the circle, they will be charged with a blocking foul.
High school has yet to adopt the restricted area, but after watching the Douglas/Newcastle game two weeks ago, I’m beginning to wonder if it might not be a bad idea.
The contest was about as intense as a game can get with lead changes happening nearly every other possession. As such, there were several attempts at driving to the hoop made by players on both sides.
And there were many fouls called on those attempts with an unusually high percentage going against the offensive player.
While there is never one single element of a contest that influences its outcome, I believe that these calls may have had a pretty big impact on the Dogies’ overtime loss to the Bearcats. 
In my opinion, a few of the charges called — on both ends — were a little questionable, but I also understand how difficult it is for officials to make the determination. This particular crew was calling them in accordance with the high school rules regarding the situation.
If high school were to adopt the restricted area semi-circle, not only would it clarify which way the foul should go in this situation, it would also help to reduce the risk of injury resulting from players planting themselves right under the basket in the way of a driving offensive player.
As the game of basketball gets bigger, faster and stronger, the rules need to adjust and perhaps this is one that could be a beneficial addition.