SWCAC Basketball Rules (revised November 2023): 

Please be sure that all of your coaches see and familiarize themselves with the rules, so that your teams don’t run into any problems caused by not knowing the league’s rules. These rules are still NOT posted anywhere on the league web site, so it is important that athletic directors provide copies to their coaches. 

The SWCAC generally follows NFHS rules for game competition, except where a difference is noted in our league rules below. 

(The section in red is currently a guideline and not a rule. The rest of the rules are rules. We discussed court sizes at the November meeting and are collecting measurements to be able to discuss what our minimums should be based on actual experience in each other’s gyms. These are some minimums we discussed at the basketball meeting but nothing that we settled on while waiting to see how our gyms 

measure. Thus, these measurements are currently suggestions and we will discuss again.) A. Court sizes and floor types (all apply to both high school and middle school courts) 1. There must be at least 4 feet from the backboard to the baseline. 

2. There must be at least 3 feet from the baseline to the wall. 

3. There must be at least 3 feet between sideline and bleachers on the non-bench side of the court. 4. The width of the playing surface must be at least 48 feet. 

5. The length of the playing surface must be such that the three-point lines do not intersect the 6’ center jump circle. 

6. The height from the floor to the lowest ceiling obstructions must be at least 25 feet. 7. Carpet and cement floors are not permitted. 

8. If the court does not meet these standards, no league playoff games can be played there. For regular season games to be played on a court that does not meet these standards, an exception must be submitted by request to the sport commissioner and approved by league vote before the season begins. (A “league game” is defined as a game that counts for league standings. If your court does not meet these specifications and you intend to play a non-league game there, please still communicate with your opponent ahead of time to make them aware of the court specifications and to allow them to choose whether they wish to play on your court.) 

B. Ball size 

1. All boys’ games (high school and middle school) will be played using a 29.5” basketball. 2. All girls’ games (high school and middle school) will be played using a 28.5” basketball. 3. There is no change in this standard for games played in a state where the ball size of the state athletic association is different. All league games must be played using the ball sizes listed above. 

C. Quarter lengths and overtime periods 

1. All high school games must be four quarters of eight minutes each. High school overtime periods must be four minutes each. 

2. All middle school games must be four quarters of six minutes each. Middle school overtime periods must be three minutes each.

D. Junior varsity contests 

1. SWCAC does not oversee junior varsity play. If you have a JV team and schedule to play another league school, please discuss the rules for competition with the other team ahead of time. 2. Though 7-minute quarters are the typical standard for JV quarter length, some schools play a different length for JV quarters. Please discuss this ahead of time with your opponent, so that both teams will be on the same page. The league’s recommendation is to defer to the home team’s preference for quarter length. 

3. The league does not restrict JV participants by grade level, and the league does not have a limit for the maximum number of quarters in which any player can participate on a given day of competition. The league’s recommendation is that seniors who play significantly for your varsity team (and others who are 

higher-level varsity players) not play in JV games – but this is only a recommendation and will not be enforced by the SWCAC. Please discuss any concerns ahead of time with your opponent. 

E. Officiating 

1. A minimum of two officials must be present for all league games (high school and middle school). 2. Two licensed officials must be scheduled to work each game. 

3. There is no limitation on the number of games an official can work in a single day at one site. 

F. Tie-breaking procedures 

1. High school section tiebreakers (for division ranking and playoff seeding) are 1) head-to-head record between all tied teams, 2) head-to-head point differential between all tied teams, then 3) coin toss. There is a 20-point cap on credited point differential for any game. 

2. If middle school sections are not organized into a pod alignment, the same tiebreakers that the high school uses will apply. When middle school sections are organized into a pod alignment, middle school pod tiebreakers (for pod ranking and playoff seeding) are 1) head-to-head record between tied teams, 2) overall point differential between tied teams, 3) record against pod teams only, 4) overall point differential in all pod games, 5) overall point differential in all section games, then 6) coin toss. 

3. When applying tiebreakers and the first tiebreaker is used, the next step is to go to the second tiebreaker; there is no situation in which the first tiebreaker will again be applied. For example, if three teams are tied and the first tiebreaker is used (and one team is eliminated based on those teams’ record against one another, whereas the other two teams have identical records against all tied teams), the next step is to move to the second tiebreaker (instead of re-applying the first tiebreaker by looking at head-to-head record between the two remaining teams).

G. Middle school playoff qualification and seeding 

1. The top two teams in each pod will qualify for the playoffs, except in the following situation. If the team that finishes third in a pod defeats all teams in the other pod in its section, in cross-pod league games, that #3 team will overtake the other pod’s #2 team and qualify for the playoffs. 

2. The basketball commissioners will periodically discuss playoff qualification and seeding as the regular season nears its conclusion and will communicate with league schools to notify them to make them aware of their teams’ playoff qualification and seeding. The following standards will be used to determine playoff seeding: 

* Standard 1 - The #1 and #2 seed in each section will be determined by the winner of the cross-pod game between the teams that finished in first place in each pod. 

* Exception - A team that finished second in its pod will become the #2 seed in the section if it defeated all teams in the other pod in its section, during cross-pod league games. (In this case, the two playoff qualifiers in the other pod in the section will become the #3 and #4 seeds in the section, in order of pod finish.) 

* If three teams from one pod qualify for the playoffs, use Standard 1 above to determine the #1 seed in the section. The exception applies (by which a second-place pod team can become the #2 seed in the section). In addition, the third-place team in a pod can become the #3 seed in the section, if that team defeated all teams in the other pod, in cross-pod games. (In that case, the top seed in the other pod would become the #4 seed in the section.) 

H. All-conference team (high school varsity only) 

1. The league shall appoint an individual to coordinate and oversee the all-conference voting. 2. That individual will communicate with league athletic directors and coaches to gather nominations from each team, organize and send out a ballot for voting, and collect and tally votes in time for the teams to be announced at the league championship game. 

3. It is not required that each team have a player represented on the all-conference team. 4. The all-conference coordinator will announce (as part of the process) the number of players that will be selected each year. (Typically, we use a number equivalent to 2.5 x the number of teams in the league, as the number of overall all-conference players.) For each section (Greater Pittsburgh and Tri-County), a five-player first-team will be selected, and the rest of the conference’s all-conference selections will be divided between a second-team and a third-team (each comprised of players from both sections). A most valuable player will be named for each section (Greater Pittsburgh and Tri-County). 

(See next page for Elementary Rules)

I. Elementary basketball (4th-6th grade) 

1. COMPETITIVE DIVISION: Either Boys or Mixed, or All Girls 

1. For boys or girls in grades 4th-6th 

2. 28.5 size ball will be used 

3. 2 halves consisting of 18 minutes with a 10 minute halftime 

4. Defenders may pick up their opponent at half court 

5. The Competitive Division allows more challenges in the backcourt, and players may start defending at half court, but no trapping is allowed at half court and on the wings. If a team wants to double team an 

opponent in the paint, that is allowed, but not outside the 3 point line. 6. 1 patched referee per game 

7. 6th Graders who start on your school’s middle school team should not play on your elementary team as well, while not a HARD FAST RULE, please be considerate of the younger players--if you need to bring a 6th grader down to allow you to have 5-7 kids, that is one, thing, if your team already has 8 kids, and there is a 6th grader starting Middle School, then let the other kids who don't see the court in Middle School Play. This is about experience and time on the court, not about dominating a league. 

2. NONCOMPETITIVE DIVISION 

Either Boys or Mixed, or All Girls 

This is for girls and boys in 4th-6th grade who are just learning the game. The focus is on them being able to get to the top of the key and try to run an offense. There is no defense before the 3 point line. There is no trapping. These kids should be taught the basics of dribbling, passing, and shooting and be able to implement that on the court during games. 

1. For boys and girls in grades 4th-6th 

2. 28.5 size ball will be used 

3. 2 halves consisting of 18 minutes with a 10 minute halftime 

4. No trapping 

5. 1 patched referee per game 

6. Defenders must pick up their opponent at the 3 point line 

i. Defense must pick up the opponent at the 3 point line means defense is 

waiting at the 3 point line. When their opponent gets close, they can start 

guarding them. 

ii. This is not saying that the defense has to stay behind the 3 point line, but most kids at this age are not able to shoot a 3. Players are able to defend against a 3 pointer, but defense is not going to jump on the ball handler when he or she 

crosses half court.