A Real Cluster F**k in the 8th Grade Game!

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I apologize in advance for the long post.

Mark, Jr., and I had a boys' JrHS DH'er this afternoon. The games were a 5pm start just ten miles away across the state line in that state up north (read Michigan). An easy $55 and a pleasant afternoon with Junior.

The league in which these two schools play have some unusal rules for JrHS basketball.

1) Both games (7th grade and 8th grade) are played in the following format: a) the first half consist of three four-minute periods and the second half consists of two six-minute periods.

2) The score for the each of the first half periods starts at 0-0. Why, you ask? Because, the team which wins the period gets awarded one point; if the two teams tie for the period, neither team gets a point. Example: If Home wins one of the periods and the Visitors win the other two periods, the score of the game to start the second half is: Home: 1, and Visitors: 2.

3) There are no three-point field goals in the 7th grade game.

4) Pressing is not allowed in the first half of either game. But pressing is allowed in the fourth quarter of the 7th grade game and the second half of the 8th grade game.

5) The 7th graders are only allowed to play man-to-man defense and the 8th graders are allowed to play either man-to-man or zone.

6) There are no penalties for violating (4) or (5) except to stop the game and tell the offending team not to do that. LOL


And now for the fun.

1:37 left in the third four-minute period, Team V has the ball in its front court and Junior is L opposite the Table. He has a CF (Visitors are in the Double Bonus) in the paint on H1 who fouls V1. As Junior moves across the lane to report the foul, V1 punches H1 in the back of his neck. I have the FTF, bye bye V1. FDF and the game goes on.

Team V is leading 3-0 to start the second half. 0:54 left in the third quarter, Team V has the ball in its front court, and I am L opposite the Table.

I have a Held Ball between H2 and V2 in the paint near the endline. I am on top of the situation immediately as H2 and V2 spin each other out-of-bounds. They the drop the ball and decide they are going to go ten rounds. Fortunately for me, a Home school administrator stepped in and seperated the two players. That is when H3 decided that he wanted to get in on the action and tries to jump on V2's back.

Fortunatley, the coaches got the players seperated and Mark and I met at the center circle to make sure we have all the information we need to go on with the game. That is when V-HC sticks in nose in our conference to tell us that the game is over, that he is taking his players off the court and leaving, and that we are at fault for the fight, .

There was one good thing that came out of this fiasco, and that is that Mark learned out how to complete a game report, .

MTD, Sr.