re: Is it acceptable for me to punish junior high(7-9 grade) kids for a loss?

We used to shoot free throws at the end of practice everyday. This was 7th/8th grade. If memory serves, every player on the team had to make x amount of free throws. I don't remember how many. The entire team ran half court suicides for the misses.

The worst punishment I recall collectively getting in that age group was having to come in on a Saturday morning and run a fricking gagillion laps around the gym for something we failed to do correctly in a game, I can't remember what. It was the most consecutive running I've ever done in my life and I remember everyone was fricking dying. My lungs were literally in pain.

It was hands down the hardest basketball season and practices I'd ever had in my life. Coach was a real hardass son of a bitch. But our super undersized team ending up outrunning and out executing everyone else and we won the championship that year.