Feb. 01--Jack Hlavin, 13, of Western Springs made a buzzer-beating shot Friday that earned the 8th grade team from St. John of the Cross the Suburban Parochial League Conference Championship.
With the score tied at 28 and 1.8 seconds left in the game against St. Cletus, Jack lobbed the shot from the opposite free throw line.
"I hoped I had enough time and I threw it in the direction of the basket," he said. "Time expired while the ball went through the air and it banked in."
"At first I couldn't believe it," Jack said. "I looked at the bench and I saw the whole bench running at me. I saw people from my school in the stands running at me. So I turned and ran away from them but they caught me and we all fell into a huge dogpile."
What made the shot all the sweeter was that it was made on Jack's grandfather's 87th birthday. Joseph Hlavin is from Western Springs and he was at the game.
"It was nice that he was able to see it," Jack said.
The game was played at Immaculate Conception High School in Elmhurst.
