Free Basketball Scoreboard — How to Run a Game

1. Go to the Free Scoreboard page on JudgeMate.
2. Select Basketball from the 15 available sports.
3. Tap "Create Scoreboard".

The system instantly generates two links:

• Admin link (with a secret token) — this is your control panel. Only you can change the score, clock, and fouls.
• Spectator link (no token), this is the read-only view for fans, displayed on phones, tablets, TVs, or projectors.

Important: Bookmark or save your admin link immediately. If you lose it, you cannot regain control of the board. The spectator link can be shared freely — anyone with the link sees the live score.

Before the game starts, you'll see the Setup Screen:

• Team names — type up to 20 characters per team (default: HOME / GUEST). Use the actual team names for the best spectator experience.
• Team colors, choose from 12 presets: red, orange, amber, lime, green, teal, cyan, blue, purple, pink, gray, white. Colors appear on both the admin panel and the spectator view.
• Tap "Start Game" when ready.

While you're in setup, spectators see a waiting screen: "Game Starting Soon — Waiting for the host to start..."

Once you tap Start, the board goes LIVE and spectators see the score, clock, and quarter number in real-time.

Basketball scoring in JudgeMate uses three buttons per team to match real basketball scoring:

• +1 — Free throw (1 point)
• +2, Two-point field goal (layup, dunk, mid-range)
• +3, Three-pointer

Each team also has a minus (−) button to correct mistakes. The score can never go below 0.

Every tap updates the spectator screen instantly — there is no delay. If you accidentally add the wrong points, tap minus to subtract and then add the correct amount.

Tip: During fast breaks and quick possessions, the +2 button is your most-used control. Keep your thumb near it for speed.

Basketball uses a countdown clock — it starts at 10:00 (FIBA) and counts down to 0:00.

Basic Controls

• START (blue button) — starts the clock counting down.
• PAUSE (yellow button), pauses the clock. Use this on every whistle (fouls, out-of-bounds, timeouts, free throws).

Manual Adjustment (When Paused)

When the clock is paused, two adjustment controls appear:

• ±1:00 — add or subtract 1 minute
• ±0:10, add or subtract 10 seconds

Use these to sync the scoreboard clock with the official game clock if they drift apart.

Quick Jump Buttons

When paused, you'll see preset buttons to jump directly to a specific time:

• 10:00 — start of a regular quarter
• 5:00, start of overtime / mid-quarter
• 2:00, two-minute warning
• 0:00, end of quarter

These are especially useful when you take over a game mid-quarter or need to reset after a timing error.

Important: The clock does NOT auto-pause at 0:00 — you should pause it manually when the quarter ends. Then tap "Next Period" to advance to the next quarter.

Basketball games follow a fixed period structure:

Phase	Clock	Display
Q1	10:00 → 0:00	Q1
Q2	10:00 → 0:00	Q2
Q3	10:00 → 0:00	Q3
Q4	10:00 → 0:00	Q4
OT1	5:00 → 0:00	OT1
OT2	5:00 → 0:00	OT2
...	5:00 → 0:00	OT...

Advancing Periods

Tap "Next Period" to advance: Q1 → Q2 → Q3 → Q4 → OT1 → OT2...

When you advance to overtime, the clock automatically changes from 10:00 to 5:00 (the FIBA overtime period length).

What Happens on Period Change

• The clock resets to the period length (10:00 for quarters, 5:00 for OT).
• The quarter label updates on both admin and spectator screens.
• Fouls follow FIBA carry-over rules (see Foul Tracking section below).

There is no limit on overtime periods — you can keep advancing as long as needed until the game is decided.

The shot clock is a separate timer that tracks the 24-second possession limit.

Two Reset Buttons

• 24s — Full reset. Use when possession changes (turnover, made basket, defensive rebound, out-of-bounds off the offense).
• 14s, Partial reset. Use after an offensive rebound or when the defense commits a foul with fewer than 14 seconds on the shot clock.

How It Works

The shot clock runs independently from the game clock. It counts down from 24 (or 14 after a partial reset) toward 0.

In a real game, the shot clock should run whenever the game clock runs and pause whenever the game clock pauses. JudgeMate's shot clock syncs automatically with the game clock — when you pause the game clock, the shot clock pauses too.

Tips for Shot Clock Operation

• Tap 24s after every change of possession — this is the most frequent action.
• Tap 14s after offensive rebounds, don't forget this rule, it's a common mistake.
• The shot clock display is visible to spectators along with the game clock.
• If you miss a reset, you can always adjust manually, the accuracy of the shot clock is a convenience, not a game-breaking issue for recreational play.

JudgeMate tracks team fouls for each team with a simple counter.

Adding and Removing Fouls

• + button — add a team foul
• − button, remove a team foul (for corrections)

Bonus Indicator

When a team reaches 5 team fouls in the current quarter, the bonus indicator lights up in red. This signals that every subsequent foul (even non-shooting fouls) will result in free throws for the opponent.

The bonus indicator is visible on both the admin panel and the spectator view — so fans in the audience can see when a team is in the penalty situation.

Foul Reset Rules (FIBA)

JudgeMate automatically follows FIBA foul carry-over rules:

• Q1 → Q2: Fouls carry over (they do NOT reset). If a team had 3 fouls in Q1, they start Q2 with 3 fouls.
• Q2 → Q3 (Halftime): Fouls RESET to 0. Both teams start the second half fresh.
• Q3 → Q4: Fouls carry over again (no reset).
• Q4 → OT (Overtime entry): Fouls RESET to 0. Each overtime period starts with a clean foul count.

This means teams can accumulate fouls across Q1-Q2, get a reset at halftime, accumulate again across Q3-Q4, and get another reset when overtime begins.

Why this matters: Understanding foul reset rules is critical for game management. A team with 4 fouls late in Q2 is one foul from the bonus — a very different situation than 4 fouls late in Q1 (where the fouls will carry into Q2).

Tap the "Share" button in the top bar to open the share modal:

• QR Code — spectators scan it with their phone camera. Perfect for gyms and venues where fans are physically present.
• Link, copy and send via WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS, email, or any other channel. Works for remote spectators too.
• Native share, use your phone's built-in share sheet (if supported by your device).

The spectator link looks like: judgemate.com/{language}/scoreboard/live/basketball/{boardId}

Font Size Remote Control

As admin, you can control the text size on spectator screens:

• A− / A+ buttons or a slider
• Range: 50% to 300% of the default size
• Perfect for adjusting readability on big screens, projectors, or gym scoreboards

Spectators can also tap their screen to reveal a local font slider (70%-160%), but the admin's setting takes priority.

No Login Required

Neither you (the admin) nor the spectators need an account, app download, or login. Everything works in a standard web browser on any device.

Ending the Game

1. Tap "End Game" in the top bar.
2. A confirmation dialog appears: "End game? This will freeze the score for all spectators."
3. Tap "Yes, End Game" to confirm, or "Keep Playing" to cancel.

Once ended:

• The score is permanently frozen — nobody can change it.
• Spectators see the final score with an "ENDED" label.
• The clock is automatically paused.

Post-Game Stats

After ending, the admin panel shows a match summary:

• Duration — total time played
• Total points, combined score of both teams
• Total fouls, combined fouls of both teams

Post-Game Actions

• "New Game — Same Teams", creates a new board with the same team names and colors. One tap, instant rematch. Perfect for tournaments, practice sessions, or pickup games.
• "New Game, Change Sport", takes you back to the sport selection screen if you want to switch to football, ice hockey, or volleyball.
• "Share Final Results", opens the share modal again so you can send the final score to fans, team chats, or social media.

Board Expiration

Completed scoreboards remain accessible for up to one week. After that, the board expires and spectators see a "Session Expired" message. Save your final score screenshot before the week is up if you need a permanent record.