16 - July 29, 2011


by Chris White It’s an issue that has been discussed for years, but hasn’t fully made its way down to high school basketball just yet. With the shot-clock rule already well established in the professional and college ranks (as well as some states in high school), adding the shot-clock to the high school game may seem like a no-brainer to some people. But to others, there are still a couple of reasons to hold off on making the shot clock a national rule. First of all, implementing a shot clock of either 30 or 35 seconds will take away the option to play “stall ball,” where a team slows the game down by keeping the ball away from its opponent for an extended period of time. Usually, the team using the stall strategy is weaker than its opponent and tries to take away the stronger team’s advantage by passing the ball around until an easy shot opportunity comes up. And that’s exactly what people don’t like about the stall game – a weaker team taking away a stronger team’s advantage just by playing keep away. Just for this reason alone, we should have a shot clock rule in every state. We already have a 30- or 35-second clock rule in eight states -


Hudson~Litchfield Sports Hudson~Litchfield Sports


Bringing the Shot Clock to High School Basketball


California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington. Even though these states already use one as part of their own regulations, the national shot clock rule was once again voted down this year by the National Federation of State High School Associations.


In all fairness, there are some good arguments to keep the shot clock away from the high school game. Some people have said adding a shot clock would take away a weaker team’s ability to compete. In college ball, players are pretty much on the same level skill-wise playing within their division or conference, so teams wouldn’t feel the need to stall even if a shot clock wasn’t used. But in high school, where teams can range from extremely skilled to not skilled at all, the teams that are not skilled at all should be allowed to have a fighting chance by being able to slow the game down.


Also, something else to consider is the fact that


not having a shot clock may actually be beneficial to the skill development of players. Players on the stall team would need to develop superior passing and ball handling skills for its stall offense to be


effective, while players on the team defending the stall would have to develop better skills on defense to either force a turnover or just keep their man in front of them. Of course, the counter argument to this would be that players should have the opportunity to become accustomed to playing with a shot clock before moving on to college. Above all, we have to remember these shot clocks aren’t cheap. It is at least $2,000 to install a shot clock system. And with our economy in its current state, high schools and state athletic associations aren’t in any rush to find new expenses. If the shot clock became a national rule in high school, it would be great for Daktronics (the manufacturing leader in electronic scoreboards), but probably not so great for high school athletic programs and state athletic associations who will be forced to buy a new clock. And then, of course, we have to take into account the expense of paying someone to operate the clock each game. With everything said, the National Federation of State High School Associations should still find a way to bring the shot clock to the high school


game across the nation. Many people (including me) believe that the game of basketball is meant to be played at a fast pace up and down the floor. It should be about who can get the most stops on defense and score the most points on offense. It shouldn’t be a contest to see who can hold the ball the longest. It’s the high scoring and the flow of motion that attracts people to watch the game. Not only that, but a stall offense might also hinder the chance for good players on a good team to deservedly showcase their skills. This usually takes away from the excitement of the game because the better team spends less time with the ball. Basically, it comes down to what would you want to watch at a game – fast breaks, dunks, and a lot of shooting from both teams, or one team passing the ball around in its offensive end, not shooting as it tries to kill the clock all night? It would be great to see a national shot clock rule be passed in the near future so people can experience the excitement of the game that is sometimes hidden.


Litchfield Blast U12 Wraps Up Season on High Note


submitted by Marilyn Soraghan The Litchfield Blast U12 softball team has had a fantastic season and recently won the New Hampshire State Babe Ruth Championship. The team has a record of 27-4 this season in tournament play. The girls have outscored their opponents 288-97 this season. Prior to winning the State title, they won the NH Babe Ruth District 4 Championship with wins over Manchester, Goffstown, and Londonderry. Over the course of the season, they won titles at the Londonderry Invitational Memorial Day tournament, the Tewksbury, MA Think Pink tournament, and the


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played together for three seasons and were part of the Blast team that won the NH Babe Ruth State title and the NH ASA State title in 2009. They have shown tremendous growth over their years with Blast, as well as great enthusiasm for the game of softball. Early on in the season, they set the goal of winning States and heading to the NE Regional tournament, which was held in Pittsfield, MA, July 22-24.


Plymouth Invitational tournament. The team is coached by Tony Scafidi, manager, and assistant coaches Mike Cote, Tom Baker, and Bob Caron. Scafidi has been involved with the Blast program for six years in different coaching capacities and has been instrumental in making it a successful softball program for the girls in Litchfield. One of the many highlights of the season was his 100th win as Blast manager during the Londonderry Memorial Day tournament. As a keeper of statistics, he also acknowledges the many milestones that some of the players reached during the season, such as 75 wins for some of the girls who had played four seasons with him. Many of these girls have


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Northeast Hurricanes U12 Blue Crowned 2011 NH ASA State Fast-Pitch Champions


submitted by Northeast Hurricanes U12 The U12 Northeast Hurricanes Blue won the first place title in the NHASA states U12 “A” Fast Pitch Tournament held in Rochester June 24-26 with 15 teams competing. The team played five games for the sweep and outscored their opponents 23-1 for the State title. Excellent pitching was delivered by Nicole Teague of Hudson with 32 Ks in three games, Meghan O’Brien with eight Ks, and Camryn Hanninen with two Ks. Ashley Conway worked behind the plate and made 11 throw-downs and pick-offs for outs. Mikayla Pacy, Brooke Murphy, Bailey Faulkingham, and Camryn Hanninen all delivered at the plate with more than five hits each. Teia Cestrone of Hudson used her speed in the international tiebreaker eighth inning of game 3 to score the only run and secure the win. Victoria Roche demanded her usual respect in centerfield, as did Bailey Faulkingham in left with one diving catch worthy of an ESPN replay. Allie Morgenstern and Meghan Hartnett added their hit-making to the lineup and Lauren Moore was always ready to start a double play from right field. The U12 Northeast Hurricanes have only lost three games this


year and have won four other tournaments that they have played in this season—the Bandits Mother’s Day tournament in Chelmsford, MA, the Lowell Tournament in Lowell, MA, the Beverly Borrelli Memorial in Salem, and the Raiders tournament in Concord, MA. The team will play in the Eastern ASA Nationals in Salem, VA, August 3-7. Go to www.nehurricanes.net to learn more about the Hurricanes.


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