Anyone who attended Butler’s boys basketball game Tuesday night at Pine-Richland saw something special.

Fast-paced action up and down the floor. All kinds of athleticism. A couple of slam dunks. Ethan Morton scoring 51 points.

Pine-Richland coach Jeff Ackermann was impressed by the quality of that game, saying that’s the style of basketball people want to see and kids want to play.

“That’s why there needs to be a shot clock in high school basketball,” Ackermann said. “Nobody wants to see 42-40 games. They want to see games in the 70’s.

“Kids want to play at a fast pace. It’s more fun and it’s more entertaining.”

Can’t argue with any of those points.

But that doesn’t mean high school basketball should have a shot clock.

In my view, it shouldn’t have one.

A shot clock forces teams to play at a faster pace and thus takes away the strategy of a slower, half-court type of game.

Are those games more boring to the spectator? In most cases, yes.

But they don’t have to be.

Teams with the skill level and athletes like Butler and Pine-Richland naturally want to run. If they’re playing against a team that wants to slow things down and keep the score in the 40’s, it should be on the more athletic team’s shoulders to apply defensive pressure, force mistakes, create steals and speed the game up on their own.

A shot clock shouldn’t be in place to do it for them.

It is understandable that a shot clock is in place at the collegiate and NBA levels. The talent level of the players in college and the pro ranks can easily play at such a pace.

High school is different.

Some teams simply are not as athletic as others. The athletically inferior team’s best chance to win is to try forcing its opponent to play at a slower pace and keep the score in the 40’s and 50’s.

With a shot clock in place, chances are much better that the athletically superior team is going to blow the other one out, possibly in embarrassing fashion.

That would not be so entertaining to watch.

There is more strategy in basketball than running up and down the floor. If I’m holding the ball and you don’t like it, take it away from me.

A shot clock sounds good in theory. At the high school level, it’s simply not practical.

There is a compromise here, though the PIAA would never go for it.

Have a shot clock be optional for every game. Have the equipment in place at every gym and if both coaches agree to use the shot clock during the pre-game meeting, use it.

If only one coach wants it or neither coach, don’t use it.

Guaranteed, Butler and Pine-Richland would have used a shot clock.

The idea of an optional clock does seem a little crazy, but it would work.

Otherwise, leave the high school game alone.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle