Editor’s note: The NEWS often receives calls from readers – especially near the end of the high school basketball season – asking for an explanation of how the Heal Point System works. The system is explained below, in a press release by the Maine Principals’ Association, which uses the points to determine high school standings for basketball, baseball, field hockey, ice hockey, softball, soccer, tennis, and some football classes.

The Heal Point System is designed to select teams for tournament play on the basis of athletic strength as demonstrated through the regular-season schedule. The athletic strength of a team is determined by a two-step process.

In the first step, the preliminary index (PI) of the team is ascertained. This is computed by assigning 40 points for each Class A victory, 35 for each Class B victory, 30 for each Class C victory, and 25 for each Class D victory. These points are added and the total divided by the number of scheduled games played. In all cases, a minimum divisor is established by the appropriate sports committee. A team with no victories is assigned a preliminary index of 1.0.

If a school team has two victories over a Class B school, two over a Class C school, and two over a Class D school, the team would have acquired a total point rating of 180. If the school team had played an 18-game schedule, the 180 points would be divided by 18, giving a preliminary index of 10.

The tournament index for this team would be determined by adding the preliminary indices of the schools from which it had won a victory. This total would be divided by 18 – the number of games in the schedule.

If the two Class B schools had preliminary indices of eight and five; the two Class C schools six and 5.4; the two Class D schools 4.4 and 4.2; then the total of these credits would be 33. Thirty-three divided by 18 – the total number of games on the schedule – would give the school team a tournament index of 1.83.

For purposes of comparing one school with another, the tournament index is always multipled by 10; so the tournament index of the school would be 18.30.

In those sports where the tie contests are allowed, each participating team is awarded one-half of the points of the opposing school. For example, a tie with a Class A team results in 20 points being awarded to the opposing team and a tie with a Class C team results in 15 points being awarded to the opposing team.

Periodic releases of the tournament standings will be made by MSSPA statisticians. During the season, the preliminary and tournament indexes of each team will be determined by using a divisor of the total games to be played that season. The only exception to this is when the seasons of all classes in a particular sport do not end on a common date.