A shot clock is coming to Class B basketball.

At its June 21 meeting, the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) voted 7-4 to implement a 35-second shot clock in Class B boys and a 30-second shot clock in Class B girls, beginning in the 2011-12 season.

The decision will mean Rugby and other Class B school districts will have to install the shot clocks in gyms at a cost that could range between $2,000 and $3,000, depending on whether it would be mounted on scoreboards, or a stand alone model.

While adding a shot clock will come at a cost for school districts, Rugby High School Athletic Director Scott Grochow’s main concern is finding qualified off-court officials to operate it. “I think that’s the challenge,’ he said. “You have to know when to reset it and when not to during the course of a game.”

Grochow doesn’t think a shot clock will speed up games very much, or increase offensive production.

“We found that out after Class A boys began using a shot clock (in 1996),’ he said. “What it really did was put emphasis on defense rather than offense.”

Class A girls implemented a 30-second shot clock in 2001.

Instituting a shot clock will call on coaches to make some adjustments, but just how it will affect the game won’t be known until it is put in use.