3rd/4th Grade PAL Basketball Rules

Location: Coxsackie-Athens HS or MS gym

General Setup: 

• Intermediate ball = 28.5

• 8 minute quarters running time

• 1 minute between periods, 5 minute halftime

• Stop clock ONLY for foul shots, timeouts, injuries, and during the last 2 minutes of each half.

Points of Emphasis

• Playing Time should be divided equally among all players.

• Defense: 

  • Hands up defense.  Please emphasize moving feet for defensive position, no reaching in.

  • Teams can play man-to-man or zone, whatever the coach would like to teach.

  • There is no stealing off the dribble, unless the offensive player CLEARLY loses control of the ball on their own and not due to interference from the defensive player.  This will almost always be a judgment call by the official.

  • The ball may be stolen from a player who has picked up their dribble, however referees are advised to pay close attention to contact as this will result in a reach-in foul the majority of the time.  

  • Defense can steal the pass.

  • Shots can be blocked.

  • A held ball will result in possession according to the possession arrow.

  • Defense should start at the 3-point line, but can extend outside of it once the ball has crossed half court.  We don’t want the offense to play outside the 3 point line just to avoid the defense.

• Scoring: 3-point goals made will count as 3 points, however emphasize that these shots should not be taken regularly.

• Inbounds:  No full court press, except in the last minute of the game. 

  • Once a shot is attempted by Team A, and rebounded or possession is given to Team B, Team A must get back past half court to allow Team B to bring the ball up court.  

• Referees, Fouls/Violations, & Speed of Play: High school players will act as referees for these games.  Coaches, players, and parents must treat these young people with respect and understanding.  

  • Traveling violations:  Referees will be lenient in calling traveling violations to keep the flow of the game going.  However, excessive traveling or carrying the ball should be called and result in possession to the other team, particularly as we progress through the season.

  • Double dribbles should be called.

  • Five second lane violations are enforced.  

  • Foul Shots: Start the shot from behind the line, but players may end up over the line without a violation being called.  If coaches agree, because a particular player is unable to reach the basket from a standard foul shot distance, a player may move inside the line to an appropriate distance.