One thing to remember is that some rules were not made just to be picky, but in fact are good rules to follow.
Quilting is meant to hold the 3 layers in position, and if you do not have enough quilting on your piece, the batting can bunch up.
A quilt does not need to be "quilted to death" to win, but the quilting should be adequate for the batting used, and compliment the top. Without seeing the quilts in question, it's impossible to say why the judge said what she did.
Janet