St. Charles East Game-Winning 3 Pointer Grabs National Attention

ST. CHARLES, IL – Bragging rights go to St. Charles East after Justin Hardy sank a game-winning three-pointer right at the buzzer on Friday night. The impressive shot secured the 53-50 win over rival St. Charles North. Check out the video from the exciting win below, which was captured from the stands by @AustinKlose and has gotten over 16,000 views so far.

"It all happened so fast but it played out in slow motion," Hardy told the Elgin Courier-News. "The ball was loose, I grabbed it and I was able to get a look."

That quick look and last-minute toss from 22 feet out by Hardy was also captured by a Kane County Chronicle reporter.

The exciting play has garnered national attention. Deadspin posted an article and videos of the shot as did SB Nation.

Deadspin writes:

....East came back from a 12 point deficit to tie the game at 47 with just over a minute remaining. The teams traded buckets and free throws over the next 60 seconds, until finally, with 3.3 seconds on the clock, North needed to inbound the ball and get a shot up for a chance to win....

For locals, the game-winning shot right at the buzzer was nothing new. In fact, it was the third year in a row that East inched out North with a three pointer as the buzzer sounded, according to the Daily Herald.

The Daily Herald reports:

The shot brought back memories of Hardy's catch-and-shoot 3-pointer just inside half-court during the Saints' 59-58 victory over the North Stars in the title game of East's 2016 Thanksgiving tournament.
The previous season, East edged North 46-45 on J.T. Ford's buzzer beater.

Photo caption: St. Charles East's Justin Hardy sinks a game-winning three pointer Friday night/Photo credit: Austin Klose/Twitter