SPORTS STUFF

BASKETBALL — On average are the games longer or shorter? When the National Federation of High Schools announced it was changing how free throws are shot during the 2023-24 season, it was to speed up the games. It cancelled the one-and-one format and went to after five fouls had been committed in each quarter teams would get two shots. Now that the regular seasons for the Scobey girls’ and boys’ teams are one-third of the way completed in the 2023-24 campaign, let’s compare the first six games of 2022-23 to the first six of 2023-24. Take note that the Scobey at MonDak in Westby games of 2022-23 are not included (opening tip-off times and gameending times were not recorded), nor is the Scobey at Dodson girls earlier this season (the Leader tuned into KCGM 95.7 FM, according to the notebook, at 5:36 p.m. for the scheduled 6 p.m. tip-...