SCAC Basketball By-Laws
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SCAC BASKETBALL BY-LAWS
November 3, 2021
A. ZONE CHAMPIONSHIPS
1. Zone champions will be declared in each of the following events.
AAAA Varsity Girls AAAA Varsity Boys
AAA Varsity Girls AAA Varsity Boys
AAAA Junior Varsity Girls AAAA Junior Varsity Boys
AAA Junior Varsity Girls AAA Junior Varsity Boys
2. Each school must declare by the MHSAA specified date, in which division (AAA or AAAA)
each of their teams will compete during playoffs and provincials. Any AAA team may declare itself a Tier 1 team, and subsequently compete in AAAA playoffs and potentially represent Zone 2 in AAAA provincials.
3. AAAA teams may compete in Tier 2 for league play but may not compete in AAA playoffs or represent Zone 2 in AAA provincials and has the option to play in the AAAA playoffs or have their season end at the conclusion of the Tier 2 league.
B. LEAGUE PLAY
1. Effective the school year 2007-2008, the SCAC will begin offering Junior Varsity and Varsity basketball leagues and championships. Before the season begins, schools must declare in which tier each of their teams will compete for league play. Depending upon the number of teams in each division, teams will play a single or double round robin, or be placed in equal pools within their own classification (Tier 1 or 2).
2. The league schedules may begin during the second week of December.
3. Varsity teams play on Monday and Wednesday.
Junior Varsity teams play on Tuesday and Thursday.
Additional nights may be added at the discretion of the convenor.
4. Girls games will begin at 6:00 pm and boys games will begin at 7:30 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Boys games will begin at 6:00 pm and girls games will begin at 7:30 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Steinbach away games will begin at 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm.
Steinbach away games in Winkler will begin at 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm.
10 minutes of warm up time will be provided between games beginning immediately after the conclusion of the first game.
5. Schedule changes will be made only under exceptional circumstances and must be made by mutual consent of the teams concerned. Once the change is agreed upon, the team requesting the change must contact the convenor so the schedule can be updated, and the referees can be contacted.
6. If possible, games should be avoided during exam week.
7. Junior Varsity playoffs will be completed one week prior to the Provincial Tournament.
Varsity playoffs will be completed one week prior to the Provincial Regional Tournament.
C. PLAYOFF STRUCTURE
1. Only the top 8 teams in any category will qualify for the playoffs.
2. The SCAC AAAA volleyball and basketball finals and 3rd place games be hosted at a single site, per age group. Example: Varsity boys and girls volleyball (both finals and both 3rd place matches). The single site will be awarded to the higher ranked girls finalist one year (even years for volleyball, odd years for basketball) and higher ranked boys finalist the next (odd years for volleyball, even years for basketball). In any specific year, the same gender will host Varsity and Junior Varsity for the given sport. Example: If varsity girls are hosting volleyball, then Junior Varsity girls will also host volleyball. In any specific year, if one gender hosts volleyball, the other will host basketball and vice versa. Example: If girls are hosting volleyball, then boys will host basketball.
The suggested schedule will be:
Girls 3rd place: 3:30 pm
Boys 3rd place: 5:15 pm
Girls Final: 7:00 pm
Boys Final: 8:45 pm
2019/20 Finals and 3rd Place games to be hosted by the highest ranked girls teams.
2020/21 Finals and 3rd Place games to be hosted by the highest ranked boys teams.
2021/22 Finals and 3rd Place games to be hosted by the highest ranked girls teams.
2022/23 Finals and 3rd Place games to be hosted by the highest ranked boys teams.
2023/24 Finals and 3rd Place games to be hosted by the highest ranked girls teams.
2024/25 Finals and 3rd Place games to be hosted by the highest ranked boys teams.
Etc.
3. Playoff format for a league with one pool of teams.
Five Team League
Quarter-final: 5 @ 4
Semi-finals: 5/4 winner @ 1
3 @ 2
Final: Semi-final winners @ a site determined by the zone rotation
Six Team League
Quarter-finals: 6 @ 3
5 @ 4
Semi-finals: 5/4 winner @ 1
6/3 winner @ 2
Final: Semi-final winners @ a site determined by the zone rotation
Seven Team League
Quarter-finals: 7 @ 2
6 @ 3
5 @ 4
Semi-finals: 5/4 winner @ 1
6/3 winner vs 7/2 winner @ the home of the highest seeded team
Final: Semi-final winners @ a site determined by the zone rotation
Eight Team League
Quarter-finals: 8 @ 1
7 @ 2
6 @ 3
5 @ 4
Semi-finals: 5/4 winner vs 8/1 winner @ the home of the highest seeded team
6/3 winner vs 7/2 winner @ the home of the highest seeded team
Final: Semi-final winners @ a site determined by the zone rotation
All playoff games are single games.
Ties for overall regular season standings will be broken based on the following format.
i. Win/Loss records, counting only games between the teams that are tied.
ii. Lowest total points against in games between the teams that are tied.
iii. Lowest total points against in games against all common opponents.
iv. When 3 or more teams are tied, the above criteria is used.
4. Playoff format for a league with two pools of teams.
Where regular season scheduling has involved the use of pool play, the playoff format (match-ups and hosting) will be dictated by the final rankings of the pools (not the records of the teams). The playoffs will match teams on a cross-over basis.
Quarter-finals: Game 1 Pool A 4 @ Pool B 1
Game 2 Pool A 3 @ Pool B 2
Game 3 Pool B 4 @ Pool A 1
Game 4 Pool B 3 @ Pool A 2
Semi-finals: Game 5 winner game 1 vs winner game 4 (@ the home of the
team with the higher pool ranking)
Game 6 winner game 2 vs winner game 3 (@ the home of the team with the higher pool ranking)
Final: Semi-final winners @ a site determined by the zone rotation
Tiebreaker for hosting (where 2 teams have the same pool rankings) will be broken based on the following format.
i. Win/Loss records, counting only games between the teams that are tied.
ii. Lowest total points against in games between the teams that are tied.
iii. Lowest total points against in games against all common opponents.
iv. When 3 or more teams are tied, the above criteria is used.
D. SEEDING POLICY
1. A team that has played its league games in the other tier will be slotted into an appropriate position in the league standings or an appropriate pool position (at the discretion of the convenor), governed by the volleyball/basketball seeding policy.
i. Direct results in league play.
ii. Direct results in tournament play (no league game).
iii. Results against common opponents.
iv. MHSAA rankings (last full week before SCAC playoffs begin).
2. In situations where AAA schools and AAAA schools combine to form one league but separate for playoffs, all league games will count towards a team’s overall record but playoff seeding and tie-breakers will occur after the teams are separated back into their respective categories.
E. MINOR OFFICIALS
1. Scorekeepers, timekeepers and shot clock operators are to be provided by the home team at all league and playoff games. Shot clocks will be used for both Junior Varsity and Varsity games.
F. PROTESTS
1. All protests must be submitted to the basketball convenor in writing within 48 hours of the game being protested.
G. ELIGIBILITY
1. Schools are responsible for registering their players with the MHSAA.
2. MHSAA playing rules for AAA and AAAA basketball state that Junior Varsity students may not compete in more than three games at the Varsity level (league, exhibition or tournament – tournaments count as two games).
H. UNIFORMS
1. All players must dress in school colors. Uniforms must meet the MHSAA standards. All uniforms must be numbered 1-99, but FIBA recommends 4-15.
I. ENTRIES
1. Schools must submit to the convenor their intent to participate by the third week in November.
J. OFFICIAL GAME BALL
1. All schools will use the MHSAA sanctioned ball (Wilson Evolution) for league and playoff games.
K. SCORESHEETS
1. All schools will use the sanctioned Zone 2 scoresheet.
2. Each home team is responsible for emailing results to the convener by noon of the following day.
3. Each home team is responsible for reporting the results to the MHSAA by noon the day after each game. These scores will automatically be sent to Basketball Manitoba. It is not necessary to report the scores to any other media outlet, only the MHSAA.
L. RULES OF THE GAME
1. FIBA rules will be in effect starting 2007. More information on FIBA, including rules books are online at http://fiba.basketballmanitoba.ca .
2. In Zone 2 league play any player disqualified from a game because of a flagrant foul will have an automatic one game suspension.
3. Amendment to the ‘mercy rule’, as decided at the November SCAC, 2005 meeting:
“ In the second half of a basketball game, a team losing by a difference of 30 points or more may request to have the “mercy rule” applied. In this case the clock will run for the remainder of that game. Once the mercy rule has been applied it cannot be retracted or repealed – regardless of point spread (difference). The clock will only be stopped for time-outs and an injury.”
At the January, 2012 SCAC meeting the following were suggested as other/additional ways to address imbalances in scores:
i. Have the coaches communicate at half time about the options.
ii. Set the scores to 0 on the scoreboard for as long as the imbalance in scores remains.
iii. Do not notify the press of the score.
4. No dunking during the warm-up period prior to the start of the game or during half time.
M. SUPERVISION
1. As per each member school’s divisional policy.
N. Provincials
1. Hotel Rooms at Provincials
SCAC policy has been to cover the cost of 4 rooms per team at Volleyball and Basketball Provincial Championships. However, with the growing size of teams and with the mix of genders coaching, teams often require at least 5 rooms.
Effective Sept 2015, SCAC will cover the cost of up to 5 rooms, per team, at Volleyball and Basketball Provincial Championships. (where travel is necessary).
