Michael Rand: Lopsided results cry out for mercy

Dave Stead, the executive director of the Minnesota State High School League, was in the middle of a call from a reporter about lopsided scores in basketball games this season when he mentioned that it wasn't even his first correspondence about the subject that day. An e-mailer had written to him that morning about a recent game that ended 108-19.

The reporter, remembering among other things a 123-point margin in boys' hoops and an 89-2 final in girls' basketball from earlier this season, thought, "Well, that doesn't sound quite as bad as some of the others."

That reaction is enough to say this: Enough. No more. Uncle.

The scores don't look good for schools, whether their name is next to the big or the little number. While such scores are more often seen in games between small schools (private or charter schools in some cases), games between bigger schools are not immune.

Finding ways to reduce the number of those types of games is something the MSHSL has had informal discussions about in the past. In January, at the league's next meeting, the topic will turn formal when it is placed on the agenda as a discussion item.

Possible eventual actions could include instituting a point differential at which a game would move to running time (when the clock wouldn't stop for violations, free throws, etc.), theoretically resulting in a quicker game with fewer points scored. Such "mercy rules" are in the National Federation of State High School Association handbook and can be adopted by member states. Minnesota has mercy rules in other sports, including hockey.

"The questions are, 'Should it happen?' and 'At what point?'" Stead said. "The issue is to not penalize teams, but also to keep teams from being discouraged."

A side issue not as closely associated with the MSHSL is how lopsided scores resulting from games between mismatched teams have affected the state record book. In early 2005, Cash Eggleston scored 90 points for Minnesota Transitions, eclipsing the previous state record by 20 points. Transitions won the game 153-69, setting the state boys' basketball record, at the time, for team points in a game. In the past calendar year, the team record has been eclipsed three times by a pair of metro area boys' charter school teams -- all against the same opponent, ECHO Charter School in Echo, located about 130 miles west of the Twin Cities.

In back-to-back games last winter, ECHO lost 154-38 to Minnesota Transitions, then lost 155-59 to Four Directions as that school established the new state record. On Dec. 8 this season, Transitions retook the state record with a 156-33 victory over ECHO. The halftime score? 103-16. (For those who love offense, by the way, Transitions is scheduled to play Four Directions tonight).

These scores are not mentioned to shame ECHO, a squad that is routinely praised by opposing coaches for its effort even in defeat. It is also not being suggested that ECHO's opponents intentionally ran up the score or exhibited poor sportsmanship.

"Sometimes things are avoidable," Stead said. "And sometimes they're not."

ECHO coach Jerry Gladis said that in the most recent record-setting game, Minnesota Transitions pressed early but backed off, holding down its final point total.

But these huge score gaps often come when schools of diverging basketball emphasis and background compete against each other. Minnesota Transitions, for instance, has many quick, tall and skilled players. ECHO, meanwhile, is a third-year program filled with kids seeking a different experience.

"Most of the kids had never played organized basketball up to this point," said Gladis, who also coaches girls' basketball at the school, which has a K-12 enrollment of 175. "I'm really competitive, but I started the program so kids would have the chance to play ball."

While Gladis said he personally does not want teams to take it easy on ECHO -- "It doesn't do us any good for them to play at a lower level or slow the game down," he said -- he also knows there are many times when a blowout is likely before the opening tap.

A mercy rule would at least close the gap and help maintain the integrity of state records.

Michael Rand • mrand@startribune.com