Editing Mercy rule (section)

==Basketball==

In high school basketball, many states have a "continuous clock" rule, similar to American football, which takes effect in the second half after a lead grows to a prescribed point (in Iowa, 35 points or more; in Kansas, 30 points or more but only in the fourth quarter; in Louisiana, the rule is invoked at any time during the game when one team gains a 35-point lead). The clock stops only for charged, officials' or injury time-outs; or at the end of the third quarter. The clock would not stop when it would normally stop, such as for fouls, free throws, out-of-bounds plays or substitutions.

The rules vary when normal timing procedures take effect after a lead is diminished (such as because of the trailing team's rally); for instance, in Iowa, normal timing procedures are enforced if the lead is lowered to 25 points but re-instituted once the lead grows back to 35 or more points. By comparison, in Kansas, if the running clock is triggered, it will not stop except for a timeout or an injury even if the differential is reduced to under 30 points. As with other sports, some states offer provisions to allow a team to end the game early by mutual decision of the coaches (for instance, if a large lead continues to grow and the talent disparity is obvious).