Low Scoring Games ? How Low Can They Go ?

coldshoulder

coldshoulder

Well-known member
Here's four scores from the Youngstown area last night:

Poland 28, Boardman 26
Cardinal Mooney 47, Canton Central Catholic 13
Howland 53, Sharon PA 17
West Branch 50, Salem 25

These are boys varsity games, not girls, not JV's or junior high, but varsity games where spectators have to pay at least $6.00 ( or is it more?) to attend.

What is the reason for such low-scoring affairs? Covid, holiday vacation absences, ...something else ? Do we have similar type scores across the rest of Ohio? Is this just the continuation of a years-long trend ?

Whatever it is, it's really quite striking.
 
 
I’ll show you a low scoring game.


Defiance District Final from last year, Toledo Christian (20) vs. Antwerp (23). In this case (and most likely the case for the Poland game) it was lack of shot clock. Fairly certain TC exploited it to keep the ball out of Landers’s hands.
 
On some of those blowouts in the teens, keep in mind the running clock. I saw an over the back foul that took about 2 minutes off the clock by the time the refs figured out it was the bonus, players walked to the other end, and confusion as to whether it was 1-and-1 or 2 shots was sorted out at the scorers table. Those second halves can fly by with many fewer possessions.
 
Bertha said:
Just bad basketball players.. but they are all probably all ohio in video games and tik tok
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Last year there was a team who scored 12, got beat by 60, only to later advance to regionals.

There was also a state champion last year who put up 29 points in a conference game.
 
Bertha said:
None of those 4 games listed would be a running clock ..

Just bad basketball players.. but they are all probably all ohio in video games and tik tok
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The 53-17 game and likely 47-13 would have been at some point. Running clock is 35 points. I think it keeps going until the score gets within 30 but don't quote me on that.

Is it possible those are small schools playing bigger programs? I don't know the area so I'm not familiar if those are just extreme mismatches or just teams who aren't very good at offense. OP's questions on Covid or holiday vacation absences could also have something to do with it. Some smaller schools especially could struggle if you get an injury and a few kids out for covid or vacation.
 
Back in the 60's I remember old Wayne County League scores of 8-7, 10-8...stall ball was very prevalent...
 
Jonathan Alder has held a team to 12 and 15 points so far this year and are giving up 21.7 overall. They gave up 27ppg last year in a 23-1 season.
 
Problem is Poland plays stall ball against any team with a pulse. It’s sad to watch, then you realize why they never have anyone who can remotely play at even a D3 school at the next level because they don’t know how to play real basketball
 
Snowman8 said:
The 53-17 game and likely 47-13 would have been at some point. Running clock is 35 points. I think it keeps going until the score gets within 30 but don't quote me on that.

Is it possible those are small schools playing bigger programs? I don't know the area so I'm not familiar if those are just extreme mismatches or just teams who aren't very good at offense. OP's questions on Covid or holiday vacation absences could also have something to do with it. Some smaller schools especially could struggle if you get an injury and a few kids out for covid or vacation.
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I don't know if the 47-13 game reached running clock or not. It was 26-2 at halftime. The team with 13 scored 9 of its points in the 4th qtr. The team with 13 is currently above .500. However, the story is: The team's best player went down with what is likely a season-ending injury last week. The team is short on ballhandlers without him. I don't care what else you have on the court. If you can't get the ball up the court into a position where you can run your offense, then it won't be pretty. There are no COVID issues that I'm aware of. Others who pay closer attention to the team said the opponent was an above average defensive team. I'm also told that none of the 13 points came from starters. I can't confirm nor deny that factoid, but that's rather difficult to do. You'd think a starter could at least get to the FT line and score some points that way.
 
pete penny said:
It's the 3 point shot. Nobody sets good picks to open up good shots. The game is getting boring watching everyone do the same thing over and over.
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It is many factors that lead to low scores. I put some blame on the coaches who feel the need to micromanage each possession like it is a tie game, with 20 seconds to go in game 7 of the NBA finals.

Seems like less teams play an up tempo style of basketball and much of it is because it is a high risk, high reward style with likely more TOs and some bad shots, but overall you get a lot more possessions.


3 point shot for some teams it also is a reason. When I get disgusted with the lack of offense I see sometimes I will count how many passes they ahve in their zone without even getting the ball inside the 3 point arc. 5,6,7,8,10 shots and not once is the bal inside the line. Gets easy to defend when the defense really is just defending from 19'9-23'.

but i digress



pete penny said:
It's the 3 point shot. Nobody sets good picks to open up good shots. The game is getting boring watching everyone do the same thing over and over
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Know of a team in SW region that is averaging 11.5 points per game of offense so far this year.

Myself, I like a very active game that is low scoring. Some of those 24 -22 games are as good as they get if the lack of scoring is the result of good defense and not bad offense.
 
My team lost a game 29-23 earlier this year. And last night the halftime score was 18-9 and we scored 26. There are many reasons for these awful scores. As mentioned, coaches micro-managing the game instead of letting their players play and the physicality of games and how defense is played with elbows, knees, hips and forearms instead of moving your feet. Those are the two major obstacles to a free flowing, beautiful game. Will it ever change or will gyms keep emptying?
 
coldshoulder said:
Here's four scores from the Youngstown area last night:

Poland 28, Boardman 26
Cardinal Mooney 47, Canton Central Catholic 13
Howland 53, Sharon PA 17
West Branch 50, Salem 25

These are boys varsity games, not girls, not JV's or junior high, but varsity games where spectators have to pay at least $6.00 ( or is it more?) to attend.

What is the reason for such low-scoring affairs? Covid, holiday vacation absences, ...something else ? Do we have similar type scores across the rest of Ohio? Is this just the continuation of a years-long trend ?

Whatever it is, it's really quite striking.
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That's very uncharastic of a Sharon (PA) team - they for years a major power in Wstern PA.

Hard times .

:>---

Devil Dog
 
I do not mind it at all. Just me but 50-15 is no different than 75-40. i enjoy either and all basketball that does not have a shot clock.:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:
 
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