Poignant day for Lynn referee Halloran

WORCESTER – When Lynn?s Paul Halloran got assigned to Saturday?s Division 3 boys basketball championship game between Cardinal Spellman and Tyngsborough, there were several reasons why that particular game was special to him.First, on the court with him was his good friend Bob “Moona” Mullins, a longtime Lynn firefighter and basketball referee whose battles with a kidney ailment led to a transplant three years ago.?To be on the court with him, after all he?s been through, that was special for me,” said Halloran. “It?s great to see him back out there.”But there?s another, more poignant, reason why this particular game was special for Halloran. Joey Glynn, a Spellman alumnus who collapsed and died during a summer league game in Watertown last year, was the inspiration for the Cardinals. Their fans wore shirts with his name and number on the back, and the team?s warmup suits were also adorned with his No. 21.Halloran was on the court officiating when it happened.?It just worked out that way,” he said. “It was Monday, and that?s where I go on Mondays. It was the first quarter of the first game of the season.”Halloran said he couldn?t let the emotion of the game, and his close connection with what happened, affect his job.?You have to do your job,” he said. “It?s as simple as that.”Spellman ended up winning the game, 61-51, prompting the Cardinals? fans to try to storm the court in jubilation afterward. DCU Center security, along with school officials, calmed the situation down quickly.As for Halloran: “This is definitely full circle,” he said, “Two full circles, actually.”