New York's all-time leading scorer,
Joe Girard III finished his storied high school career with 4,766 career points — good for ninth in high school basketball history.
Although the Syracuse-bound guard struggled from the field, shooting 11-of-27, he managed 46 points in the title-game win. Girard made his impact at the line, going 19-of-20 from the charity stripe, while also collecting six rebounds and dishing out five assists.
He averaged 48.8 points per game this season and finished his senior year with 1,464 points, leading the Indians to a 29-1 record along with the program's first state-title run.
The senior has done it all in his Glens Falls career, capturing two football state championships and now the one he wanted most — one on the hardwood.
Girard put his name on the national radar last season. He averaged 50 points per game, earned MaxPreps first team Junior All-American honors and shattered the New York all-time scoring mark set by Lance Stephenson, who finished with 2,946 points at Lincoln.
The back-to-back New York Gatorade Player of the Year also broke another record earlier in the season, going for 69 points in a February win over Schuylerville. That outburst broke the previous New York Section II single-game record of 67 by Rich Campoli in 1964.
Joe Girard III, Glens Falls
Photo by Jim Redman
