gettyimages-1463095405-1.jpg
Getty Images

A Tuesday night high school basketball game between Weatherford and Anadarko in Oklahoma ended in a score of 4-2, with Weatherford prevailing in a contest that featured only six total points between the two teams. Weatherford sophomore CJ Nickson accounted for all of his team's points, surpassing 1,000 career points in the process.

The absurdly low-scoring game was the result of a stall ball strategy taken to its logical extreme. After Weatherford scored the first bucket, Anadarko proceeded to hold onto the ball until halftime, not even attempting to take any shots while continually passing the ball as Weatherford sat back in zone defense. According to The Oklahoman, one Anadarko possession in the third quarter lasted almost seven minutes before officials called a foul.

Weatherford would ultimately go up 4-0, with a basket off a missed layup giving Anadarko a chance to steal a victory. A 3-point attempt to end the game was unsuccessful, allowing Weatherford to hold on and win.

The result of the game led to renewed calls both in Oklahoma and nationally for a shot clock to be implemented in high school basketball in order to prevent teams from holding onto the ball for an indefinite amount of time without incurring a penalty. Just last month, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Board of Directors voted against a recommendation to introduce the shot clock for Classes 6A-3A beginning in 2024-25.

Nearly one month after that vote, the 4-2 match was met with consternationan and further calls for reform.

"This is a real final score because one of the teams stalled for 4 quarters," read a tweet by Bryan Keating, the sports director at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City. "What are we doing here in Oklahoma? We have to play with a shot clock. The players deserve a whole lot better than this."

Currently, 40 states across the U.S., including Oklahoma, do not mandate a shot clock be used.