The best argument for a high school shot clock is ...

The Gadsden boys basketball team.

No contest.

The Panthers provided another example on Thursday night in the District 3-5A Tournament. Gadsden knocked off Alamogordo 16-10.

That's no typo (though I'll probably have plenty). Sixteen to 10!

Before I explain, here are some details, courtesy of Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Felix Chavez.

• Gadsden outscored Alamogordo 5-0 in the second half.
• Daniel Rico (Gadsden) and Tremaine McClellan (Alamogordo) each led their teams, scoring six points.
• Alamogordo did not shoot a free throw.

These scorebook anomalies are made possible by Gadsden's stall tactic. Thursday's score, which looked like something you'd see in a third-grade girls game, was a perfect storm. Under legendary coach Mike Harper -- he won his 700th game this season -- the Panthers have been known to turn offense into a game of keep away in Nikes. Alamogordo refused to come out of its zone defense, which let the Gadsden point guard hold the ball for most of the second half.

This strategy might not be popular, but it requires plenty of discipline and conditioning. When I worked in Las Cruces, I saw plenty of Gadsden games stay in the 30s. Even against a man-t0-man defense the Panthers often milk more than a minute off the clock per possession. Would-be defenders get impatient or tired or bored and frequently surrender backdoor layups.

Slow-down offense also requires hard-nosed defense. Rallying from even a six-point deficit becomes quite a chore when it takes 1:24 to score a single basket. You simply can not get behind and win with this offense.

While it has its redeeming qualities this offense frustrates me, even when coaches use it on a limited basis at the end of halves and games. Running is inherent to basketball. This offense robs the game of part of its soul.

Opposing fans hate it. Coaches hate to plan for it -- Tuesday's score will make coaches all over cross their fingers, hoping not to draw Gadsden at state.

It's also unfair to defenses. If you can stop a team from shooting for more than a minute, you should get the ball back.

However, I'm not going to say that this isn't real basketball. It drives me crazy when old-school, pass-fearing football coaches say that about spread offenses, so I won't go there. Stall offense has a place.

It just needs to be tempered.

A shot clock would do that, even one that lasts as long as 60 seconds. The NBA has it. College has it. Even some high schools do. It's time for New Mexico to join that list.