New York HS basketball team wins title on buzzer-beating heave from opponent's 3-point line

This weekend marked the five-year anniversary of New Rochelle’s Khalil Edney stealing a pass and tickling twine on a 55-foot buzzer-beating prayer in the waning seconds of the boy’s Class AA final at the Westchester County Center. On Saturday at Pace, Ardsley senior Julian McGarvey found his own basketball prayers answered in a similar situation.

Ardsley trailed opponent Tappan Zee 51-49, after McGarvey missed a pair of free throws with 3.9 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, a Tappan Zee inbounder threw a pass 3/4 of the length of the court, which was stolen by McGarvey.

From behind the three-point arc on the opposite end of the floor, McGarvey turned, flicked a desperation heave toward the rim and found the bottom of the net to win the Class A sectional final. As pandemonium ensued, McGarvey broke down on the court.

Like Edney, five years ago, McGarvey is a quarterback who is also the starting varsity quarterback and is committed to playing college football at Marist. That arm strength was evident on his shot, even if he did appear to travel.

“That was the greatest moment of my life,” McGarvey said after celebrating the win. “This is what being a high school basketball player is all about.”

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DJ Dunson is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at dunsnchecksin@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or Facebook.