Sudden Death
 

Had a first for me: a game ending in sudden death.

GV, with 20-minute halves running time, stop time the last two minutes, college-sized court. A tie at the end of the second half results in sudden death (free throw or field goal). I check with both head coaches to make sure everyone is on the same page. The kid running the scoreboard asks me if we even need to put time on the clock. I tell him that I don't see the point.

I announce to the dozens of family friends in the stands, "sudden death, folks!" The response is positive. (I think they wanted to go home.) Blue (actually teal) wins the tap, but misses a 12-foot jumper. White gets the rebound, drives the left baseline, and hits a five footer for the win.

While I certainly don't encourage that rule in regular NFHS play, I have to admit it was fun, if not efficient.

Wow, I've never seen or heard of that one before. Interesting.

What about going to a FT shoot-out like in hockey or soccer? :cool:

Oooh, the pressure!

You see it in camps, usually after the first OT.

With time constraints the way they are in many leagues with so many games played back to back, I can see how this would keep things moving along!

Sudden Win, Or, Sudden Loss ...
 

Back in my dark side coaching days, I used this method when officiating overtime intramural games. Jump ball to start the sudden death overtime. First point (field goal or free throw) wins. Very exciting. Kids loved it.

I had a spring league boys JV game that had absolutely no chance of going to OT, let alone sudden death. The final score was 77-22.

It was death, but it certainly wasn't sudden.
 

Ok, Padgett, I'll play... :)

Girls Varsity game this season: 80-11... and 7 of those points were in one quarter.

I saw the title and thought you were advocating sudden death as the penalty for a HC's 2nd TF, :D.

MTD, Sr.

Did it go into OT?

I've been taking tips from you... so no. :)

Boys instituted running clock in IA this year, but no such luck for the girls. These are painful for everyone.

Weird, and I thought the Girls' Union was working towards fewer differences. Although, the boys creating a difference is a little off normal.

A summer league I was previously involved with used a variation where during the regular games, a tie wa sbroken by the first team scoring three points.

I recall one game where I believe the team winning the tap worked the shot clock down and drained a triple to win it. I also remember another game where Team A scored a basket to go up two, and then committed 4 straight fouls (modified Pro rules; 4 team fouls in OT = Penalty) to put the opposing team into the penalty so they could keep Team B from shooting a three pointer and give them a chance to win it on the next possession. :D

How do you score a "back"? :confused:

I've been in rec games were a form of sudden death was used, but it was always the first 5 points scored. Winning on a free throw is cheesy, as is the first basket. Just my 2 cents.

5 points is 2 possessions at minimum (save an INT on a made trey). If time is a concern, try 4 or 5 points and 2 minutes on the clock - and whichever comes first will declare the winner.

Sudden death in the off-season is fine. The message is, winning this game isn't that damn important. The workout is. Let's just break the tie and be done with it.

I had a couple of sudden death games last summer. One ended with a FT and the other ended with a jumper. Both were rather anti-climactic, but it's summer ball where staying on the schedule is more important.

Yep. Or any summer league as well.

Peace

The man who assigned me this game said that sudden death was also part of the regular season at one time. He emailed me the following, which I'm copying here with his permission...
-----

First High School Game I coached in was in November of 61 and it was at Stearns and we played a sudden death game.

The rule back then was play a 3 minute overtime if the score was tied at the end of regulation. If it was still tied after the 3 minute overtime, then we went to sudden death, which was the first team to score two consecutive points. Examples a field goal, 2 foul shots.

Did not have to win by 2, just score 2 consecutive points. Like team A score 1 foul shot, and then if team B scored a field goal or 2 foul shots then the game ended, that was sudden death.

I was coaching at Fort Fairfield and we got the tip, posted up our best foul shooter and he got fouled, made both free throws and we won.

Had to be a league rule of some kind, Bainsey. We had one rural high school league back then that played no OT's during the regular season because all of the kids that were bussed. Tie games counted. I officiated back then and I don't remember the OT rule rule having any restrictions and I also remember doing or seeing several 2/3 OT games.

FYI - the "sudden death" rule for OT goes back as far as Dr. Naismith. Here's rule 13 of the 13 original rules of basketball:

13) The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.

Buses had been invented by then? :eek:

They scored a basket to go back up 2. :cool: For that type, I'll take away my coaching box for the rest of the night. :p

For that type what? :D