NFHS Mercy Rule
 

Had one last night. It has been a while since I had last enforced one so I was trying to look up the authority on it at half time just to make sure I remembered it correctly. To my surprise, I could not find it. I scanned the entire rulebook twice, and in particular Rules 2, 4 and 6. Partner was foggy as well.

To my recollection, if a team is up 40+ points in the 4th, the clock runs for the duration of the game, except for timeouts or "other" stoppages. This is what we used last night, without incident.

Then took another cold scan this morning and still could not find the citation. Can another set of eyes help me out? Just want to make sure it's right.

Thanks

Look after rule 10 in the "State Association Adoptions" and then ask your assignor if your state is using this rule. SOme are and some aren't.

It's a state rule if you have it. It's not NFHS.

The NFHS does state what the differential is, your State Association sets it. See 5-5-3 Note

Almost 1st. I keep on trying to be the first one with a correct answer.

Thanks...CA
 

Thanks for the state clarification.

In CA. I know we have one at 40+. But our association does not have the CBOA (state) materials for some unspecified reason/s. And I don't have my CBOA from last year.

Any CA'ians that can confirm?

Thanks again.

If this falls through, I'm sure there is an someone from your state (http://www.cifstate.org/) that can answer your question.

Doing a quick look, I found CA's RI: Basketball John Lozano 213-361-2220
[email protected]

Good luck.

California Ref
 

I can confirm the mercy rule.

40 points in the fourth quarter. Running clock-only stops during time outs. Even if score dips below the 40 point margin the clock continues running.

Is anyone here from Missouri? I think our no mercy rule is 30 but I'm not for sure

Yes - Missouri's adoption is 30 in the 4th quarter, in effect for all levels.

Unfortunately - it reverts back to regular timing rules if it falls below 30, so you can easily have a 30-28-30-29 situation which causes more grief than a blowout needs.


I've think I've seen it posted on here before - Florida's rule is 30 but doesn't revert until 20, someone from Florida correct me if I'm wrong.

If you're going to have it, I think that is a good way to do it.

I believe you are correct however I think ( and again I'm probably wrong) but if the score dips below 30 we go back to normal clock.)

I've always been against mercy rules, but after a game a couple of weeks ago, I'm now convinced we need it in HS basketball. Not that I didn't have enough experience with this before, but we had a game out of hand by early in the second quarter, and both teams, but the losing team in particular, continued to play very rough. Neither team was any good, but one was very bad. Any way, we ended up ejecting one player and finally ejecting the coach -- my first ever. And this was two CHRISTIAN schools!

We did everything we could to keep this game under control, but an experienced evaluator might have felt we lost a little control. This game sent home the message that you can't always let up (foul call wise) on the losing team just to get the game over with. The other team starts getting pissed and potentially retaliates.

I'm not in favor of a reversion. At 40, clock runs, time outs are 30 seconds (except for injury) only, and the game could end during a free throw. The problem with a reversion is the winning team will let up a little (which is what the intent of the rule is) and a reversion penalizes them instead of just getting the game over with. If they lose a 40 point lead with a running clock, that's their problem, but if we revert, I think we keep changing the standards for that one game. At any rate, basketball is the only sport I favor a mercy rule in. Football has a built in mercy rule (offense can run out the clock), and only 4 innings of baseball defeats the purpose of playing the game, in my view.

When we had it in IL, once you hit 30 in the fourth quarter (or to start the fourth quarter) it was a running clock, including overtime (if by some chance it got there).

Ohio
 

Ohio Specifically does NOT have a mercy rule.

First game of the season Monday Night. Girls JV.

Suburban School versus what can only be described as the poorest of the inner city schools. Visitors only had 6 in the book. One left the bench with about 2:00 left in 3Q to join Varsity. 2:00 left in the 3rd quarter another fouls out. Now they're down to 4 players. Visitors are losing by 60 points.

The visiting coach asked me to have the clock run the whole 4th quarter. I asked the home coach. She agreed. We did it, despite no provision in the OHSAA rules. I'm wondering if we should have done this. It just seemed the right thing to do.:rolleyes:

NFHS 5-5-3 says that you are allowed to shorten the period, if the coaches agree (in a varsity game, the coaches and referee must agree). I think this means that you can play four minutes instead of 8 minute quarters. I don't think it means you can let the clock run. Although, I suppose you could interpret "shorten" to mean that the clock just keeps running. That would definitely shorten the game.