River Valley League Girls Basketball
Rules of the Game. (as of 01/05/21)
2020-2021 Mini Season Only
A. Each League game will consist of two halves. Overtime periods will be used as required, until a winner is determined.
1.There will be a 2 minute intermission between halves.
2.The game clock will be stopped at all whistles.
3.A quality ball (28.5 size basketball) shall be used and supplied by the Home Team. If Home Team is unable to supply a quality ball the Visiting Team shall supply one. The referee has final authority of a quality ball
4. Games may start 15 minutes prior to scheduled start time.
5. No spectators are allowed. (Coaches and table personnel are not counted in this calculation.)
6. Teams will be allowed a (5) minute warm-up. Only (12) players can be dressed per game.
7. Jump ball to start the game will be a coin toss prior to the start of game and overtime(s). Ball shall be thrown in at the divisional line opposite the table.
8.Uniforms must be worn.
a.All 7th/8th grade teams must have white and dark color uniforms (numbers on the front shall be a minimum of 4 inches and on the back shall be a minimum of 6 inches) with legal numbers starting and/or ending with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. There can be no number 6, 7, 8 or 9 on their uniforms.
9.The lengths of the halves are as follows:
a.For 7th/8th grade divisions shall be 16minutes.
b.For 4th/5th/6th grade divisions shall be 14 minutes
c.Overtime periods will be 1 minute. After 3 overtimes and if the game is still tied both teams will be credited with a win.
10. Each team is allowed to have a maximum of 2 coaches on the team bench. Only one coach may stand at any one time, unless it is for spontaneous celebration or instructions. This does not include table personnel. (Team managers, team trainers, etc. count as a coach.) Each team is allowed (1) table personnel. Home team is responsible for the clock and the Visiting team is responsible for the gamebook scoring.
B.Each game shall be conducted according to the rules of the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) with the exceptions noted as follows:
1.1 and 1 foul shots will be taken upon the 7th team foul per half and two foul shots will be awarded upon the 10th foul in a half.
2.Teams are allowed three60-second timeouts during a regulation game.Unused time-outs can be carried over into overtime and may be used at any time. Consecutive time-outs are not allowed.
3.As no shot clock is utilized, the 10 second back court rule will apply.
4.On all courts with a designated 3 point arc, 3 point shots will be allowed.
5. On free throws, two defenders are required in the lowest legal lane space. Two offensive players may occupy the next adjacent lane space. The third spaces (next to the shooter) are to be empty. They are in the lane during First Free throw.
6. On sideline out of bounds on the Table/Teams side, the ball will be administered directly opposite sideline where it went out of bounds.{This is due to a lack of space on the bench sides.}
7.On Baseline out of bounds the ball shall be administered between the three point line and the blocks of the lane.
5.For the 6th grade only: Teams will be limited to any half-court defense. Full court pressing is only allowed in the last 4 minutes of each half and overtime. No pressing is allowed after a 15 point lead.
a). A technical foul will occur on any intentional violation of the half court rule when a team has a 15 point lead.
6.For the 7th and 8th grade only: Teams will be limited to a half-court defense. Full court pressing is only allowed in the last 4 minutes of each half and overtime. No pressing is allowed after a 20 point lead.
a). A technical foul will occur on any intentional violation of the half court rule when a team has a 20 point lead.
7.All technical fouls (Direct Technical: Physical or Verbal abuse, Unsportsmanlike conduct) of Players or Coaches must be reported to the appropriate Age Director and Commissioner(s) within 72 hours of the conclusion of the game. If the head coach does not report their team(s) technical fouls in the allotted time, then the coach shall be suspended for 2 or more games depending on the number of violations.
8.Ejections: Any individual ejected from a RVL game will be suspended for 1 league game for their first offense. A second ejection will result in a minimum 3 game suspension. A third ejection will result in a minimum of one year suspension. Both coaches must report the ejection(s) to the appropriate Age Director and Commissioner(s) within 24 hours of the conclusion of the game.
9.Threats or physical abuse to another party (i.e. Referee, Coach, Player, etc.) will result in a suspension from all RVL events for a minimum of 1 year. The suspension(s) shall be enforced by the Age Director with an appeal process to the BOD.
10.Mouth pieces are not required.All Players, Coaches, Referees and Table Personnel must wear a mask at all times.
11.For the 4th and 5thgrades: Only man to man defense will be played. No zone defense or double teaming. Full court pressing is only allowed in the last 2 minutes of the game and overtime. Press must be Man to Man. (No pressing is allowed if leading by 10 points.)
a. A foul shooter is allowed a foot violation provided she does not continue on into the lane until the ball touches the rim.
b. Man to Man defense means to stay within approx.4 feet from your offensive player on the strong side (ball side). Weak side defenders may put one (1) foot in the lane. Two (2) feet in the lane on the weak side when the player you are covering is not in the lane is a violation.
c. Man to Man defense allows for “help side” defensive concepts. Help defense allows for a weak side defender to help a teammate that has been beaten defensively. Once the original defender recovers back to her man, the help defender should recover back to her player, unless a switch has taken place.
d. Violations for double teaming, two (2) feet in the lane (weak side only) and full court pressing is as follows:
d.1. First violation is a warning.
d.2. All subsequent violations will be two (2) shots with the lane cleared and the ball at half court for a throw in. The game officials have discretion in interpreting the violation.
e. When multiple offensive and defensive players are in the lane, the double teaming violation is unmanageable and the game officials will have final responsibility for interpreting the violation. If no advantage is being gained then the official may not call a violation.
C. Injured players who have blood showing must be removed from the game.
1.The injured player cannot reenter the game until the bleeding has stopped and the wound is properly covered.
2.Uniforms stained with blood must be changed. No player with a blooded uniform will be allowed to play.