How to Keep the Official Score Book at a High School or Grade School Basketball Game

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Scorebook
Pens or pencils

Step 1

You must be at the scorer's table about 15 minutes before the game starts.
The first thing you must do is get the player's names and numbers for both teams written into the Score Book. It is better to write in the first and last name of each player, so you have that information after the game.
Step 2

After you get the player's names written in for both team, ask the Head Coach of each team, who he/she is starting today. Mark an X thru the first quarter for these five players for each team. If the Score Book you are using does not have a spot for quarters played, mark an x or a position before the player's name.
Step 3

After this is done, the lead referee should either be waiting to check the score book or will come over and check it about 5 minutes before the game starts. He will be checking to make sure all players have legal numbers and that both teams have all their player's listed in the score book. Ask the referee his name or to write his name in the score book, where it lists the game officials. Also ask the referee for his/her partner's names. In High School most games will be refereed by 2 referees, some leagues and most championship games use 3 referees now.
Step 4

During the Game you need to watch the ball and the player with it. You also need to watch the referee's, they will tell you when player's are attempting 3-point shots.
Step 5

At the start of the game, the team that controls the tip must be written down, so the possession arrow can be facing the right direction. Most Score Books have a spot for this, if your Score Book does not, then write the possession down on the bottom of one team's Score Book page. You can use the initials of each team to do this. You should also write 1st by the team initials to note this was the opening tip of the game.
Step 6

Possession Arrow: Every time the referee calls a Jump Ball, write down the time on the clock and the team's initials that did receive possession on the last Jump ball or start of the quarter.

Every Quarter the ball is handed into the team that did receive possession on the last Jump ball or start of the quarter. Write down the quarter and the team's initials.

If the Referee is giving the wrong team the ball in this situation, have Time Keeper buzz the horn and call the referee over to the scorer's table.
Step 7

Recording Fouls: Every time the referee calls a foul, He will look toward the scorer's table and give you the team color and the player's number. Go to the correct team and down to the player who was charged with the foul, mark an X thru the next available foul that has not been used, in the second half of the game use /'s. Also go down to the team fouls and mark off a team foul. If the team has no player with the number given by the referee, have Time Keeper buzz the horn and call the referee over to the scorer's table. If the player has already committed 4 fouls and this is his 5th foul, notify the referee, unless your league lets players get more than 5 fouls.
Step 8

Recording Points Scored (Field Goals): If the referee does not signal the shot as a 3-point shot, then record the basket as two point shot. Do this my going to the team's running score and writing the player's number who scored in the correct number for that team (just add two to the previous score), then go down to the Player's individual score book line and write the number 2 in the correct quarter.
Step 9

Recording Points Scored (3-point Field Goals): If the referee signals the shot as a 3-point shot, then record the basket as three point shot. Do this my going to the team's running score and writing the player's number who scored in the correct number for that team (just add three to the previous score), then go down to the Player's individual score book line and write the number 3 in the correct quarter.
Step 10

Recording Points Scored (Free Throws): When player's are attempting free throws, the referee will single how many free throw remain before the shot is attempted. Record 0 in the correct quarter on the player's individual score book line before the shot is attempted. If the shot is missed, there is nothing else to do. If the shot is made, then place an X over the 0, also go to the team's running score and writing the player's number who scored in the correct number for that team (just add one to the previous score).
Step 11

Timeouts: Every time a team calls a timeout, the referee will tell you who called the timeout, the team which called the timeout and if it a full time out or a 30 second time out. Go to the correct team's score book page and record the time out: by listing the quarter, the time on the clock, and who called the timeout (either a player's number or C for coach), and the type of timeout. Some scorebooks do not have different spaces for full or 30 second timeouts, in the these scorebooks you need to write down an F for a full timeout and 30 for thirty second timeout.
Step 12

At the end of each quarter, you need to add up the individual points and write it down in that quarter on a player's line that was not used or will not be used in this game. Circle this number and draw a line up and down that quarters column, so you don't add more points into that quarter.
Step 13

At the end of the first and third quarter, you also need to make sure the team fouls are correct. The referee will come over and check to make sure the points and team fouls are correct on the scoreboard at these times.