Basketball shot clock unnecessary

No doubt the subject of a shot clock for high school basketball in Maine has come up in conversations during the last 36 hours.

That’s always the immediate reaction whenever a team uses delay tactics in a game, particularly a high-profile encounter such as Wednesday night’s Eastern Maine Class A semifinal between undefeated Bangor and Mt. Blue of Farmington.

But in the spirit of less regulation, I’m here to say we should leave things alone because if anything, this instance displayed a delay game as it should be played – not to mention how it should be countered.

Mt. Blue was overwhelmed by Bangor twice earlier this season, by 30 and 34 points, so the status quo was not going to work for the Cougars.

So coach Jim Bessey – he of more than 400 wins of this business – sought to capitalize on the strength of his team, guards Jamie Sawyer and Ben Russell, to give Mt. Blue its best chance to win and continue its quest for a championship.

And that was by controlling the clock.

But this was not the stereotypical delay game in which one guy stands near midcourt holding the ball under his arm while the other team sits in a 2-3 zone counting spectators.

This was a constant, fairly aggressive effort to search out nothing less than a layup for Sawyer or Russell, and Bangor reacted with a tenacious yet disciplined defense that capitalized on the Rams’ collective experience and wing span.

Both teams executed almost flawlessly in the first half. Mt. Blue held the ball more than seven minutes of the first quarter without a turnover, and gave it away just once before intermission.

Bangor coach Roger Reed – he of the more than 500 wins in this business – hardly had his team responding passively.

The Rams used both man-to-man and zone sets to trap the Cougars in corners or along the sideline whenever possible, but didn’t get overaggressive and allow Mt. Blue open lanes to the basket. They also they didn’t rely on their hands for a defensive shortcut – Bangor had just three fouls in the half.

When Bangor did get the ball, the Rams showed why they are the defending state champions and now winners of 30 consecutive games. There were a couple of low-percentage shots to be sure given how valuable ball possession was in this game, but Bangor nevertheless made 4 of 6 field-goal attempts and 4 of 5 free-throw tries in the half, including two 3-pointers.

By intermission, Mt. Blue still had a chance, trailing 14-8 instead of by the 49-21 deficit it faced at home against Bangor less than two weeks earlier.

But as the Cougars fell further behind, they reluctantly had to abandon their disciplined approach, and a Bangor team led on this night by Lee Suvlu and Billy Zolper was quick to convert from its own brand of patience to applying the offensive accelerator.

By the end of the third quarter, Bangor’s lead was 29-12, and by the end of the evening the Rams had a 23-point win and was headed to tonight’s Eastern Maine final.

Did this game provide the entertainment value of Camden Hills’ overtime thriller over Presque Isle earlier in the day, or the 3-point festival that was Maranacook of Readfield against Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln?

Perhaps not, but basketball is not meant to be played one way, and in this isolated case both teams did what they had to do to win.

So until this becomes the norm rather the exception, play on, delay or not – and without a shot clock.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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