Illinois adopts mercy rule for high school basketball

June 12, 2018 / Basketball

Illinois will implement a mercy rule for high school basketball regular season games beginning with the 2018-19 season.

The Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) Board of Directors approved the change earlier this month. The new rule will start a running clock during the fourth quarter any time there’s a 30-point differential between the two teams. Illinois uses a similar rule for high school football.

The IHSA indicates that the only time a clock would be stopped while the mercy rule is enforced is during an injury, timeout or referee stoppage (e.g., technical foul, score correction).

The mercy rule applies only to regular season and regular season tournament games. It will not be in play during the state tournament.