Editorial -- Plattsburg Boys Run Up Score on Gilman City & Tri-C Coop

 On Monday night, the Plattsburg junior high boys won 71-5 in a lopsided score against a Gilman City & Tri-County squad that has been struggling this year. 

We get it that there are certain things to consider. You can't ask kids not to run with the ball or to not take a wide open layup. You can't ask kids not to play hard. You don't want the losing team to decide that it can pick on your JV, like certain teams did to Worth County's football teams during the 2000's. 

But what happened Monday night was beyond the pale. Plattsburg kept their press on the whole game, with the game already decided. Their coach was yelling at the Gilman City and Tri-County fans. 

The mercy rule in basketball is there for a reason. Once the score goes above 30 points in the fourth quarter, the clock runs even during periods when it normally stops, except when there is an injury or a time-out. 

Worth County and Northeast Nodaway have two of the best junior high girls teams in the area. They both like to press, but once it becomes obvious that the game is won, they take the press off and drop back into a half-court defense and start putting their subs in. By the middle of the third or the start of the fourth, they sub freely. 

MSHSAA and the NFHS should consider extending the running clock. If the margin is 30 or more points in the second half, the clock should run. If the margin goes below 30 points, then the clock should start and stop as normal. The goal should not be to run up the score, but to give opportunities for kids on both sides who don't normally get to play.

We understand that kids are a lot more quicker and athletic than when we were young. A 20-25 point lead is not always safe, even in junior high. Worth County's girls once lost a 30-16 lead because they cleared their bench too soon back around 2010. But a 30+ point lead with a running clock is plenty safe. 

Having kids play hard through all four quarters and teaching all-out effort is fine. Deliberately running up the score by keeping the press on and leaving in one's starters when there is nothing more to prove is not.