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Glens Falls High School senior Joe Girard III highlights
A look at one of the Top 10 scorers in high school basketball history.
Glens Falls and quarterback Joe Girard III (center) celebrate winning the 2018 NYSPHSAA Class B state title.
Photo by Chris Cecere
Commentary: "You can't describe what he does. It's like superhuman..."
Arleen Girard doesn’t usually weep washing clothes. Cleansing Superman’s cape, however, carries consequences. Especially when it’s the final time.
“...it hit me this morning that this was their last game,” Girard told
The Post-Star after watching her son
Joseph Girard III and his
Glens Falls (N.Y.) teammates claim their first New York Class B boys basketball Federation Tournament of Champions title on March 24. “I teared up as I was washing his uniform, but now we can start to look to the future.”
As bright as those prospects are, JG3’s prep past will shine eternally.
New York's all-time leading scorer, Girard III finishes his high school career with 4,763 career points. That tally ranks
10th in high school basketball history. He is the only prep player ever to average more than 48 points per game in a season – twice.
Recently named a first team
MaxPreps All-American and New York’s Mr. Basketball, Girard III averaged 48.6 points per game this season and scored 1,464 as the Indians finished 29-1. His 69 points in a February win over
Schuylerville (N.Y.) broke the New York Section II single-game record of 67 set by Rich Campoli in 1964.
As a junior, Girard III averaged 50 points per game, earned MaxPreps first team Junior All-American honors, set the then-state single-season points record with 1,149 in 23 games and broke the N.Y. all-time scoring mark set by current Los Angeles Lakers guard Lance Stephenson (2,946 points at Lincoln).
Girard III played five seasons of varsity, averaging 21.7 points as an eighth grader, 33.9 as a freshman and 36.4 as a sophomore. He scored 31 points in his first game and 43 in his last. In between he reached double-digits in 121 of 122 tips.
He’ll play for head coach Jim Boeheim at
Syracuse.
"His poise on the court, it's incredible," New York State Public High School Athletic Association Executive Director Robert Zayas told
The Daily Gazette after watching the Federation final. "It's hard to describe it."
Hollywood couldn’t craft a better script.
The basketball team is 93-9 the last four years and the football squad – with Girard III at quarterback – has claimed two Class B state titles (2016 and 2018).
"GF Nation" - as the Indians army of followers has been tagged - is just as impressive as the trophy case.
“I couldn't do it without the local community here,” Girard III said. “We travel well, we're behind each other and I couldn't do it without these guys."
Those guys are often the same.
Eight of the Indians 12 basketball players are seniors and eight were on the football team. It’s just the second time in state history a school has won NYSPHSAA football and basketball titles in the same school year.
“These are his brothers,” Arleen Girard said. “He has grown up with them from day one.”
One day they’ll talk about the time JG3 scored 50 points and banked home the game-winner at the buzzer in a 75-74 overtime win over Lowville in the NYSPHSAA Class B title game. Or maybe they’ll talk about the time he ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more as the Indians rallied from a 14-0 deficit to beat Batavia 55-32 for the 2018 NYSPHSAA Class B football title. Then there’s the most recent 88-79 conquest of Cardinal O'Hara (N.Y.) in the Federation final.
"Indescribable,'' Glens Falls linebacker Kyle Vachon told
Syracuse.com. "You can't describe what he does. It's like superhuman…Syracuse got a good one, for sure.''
Girard III finished his career with 4,763 points, the 10th highest tally in high school basketball history.
Photo by Jim Redman
