Illinois 8th Grader Hits Game Winning Full-Court Shot on Video

The fast action and court awareness of this 8th grader gave us one of the most amazing basketball highlights of 2022.

Milton Pope was struggling in the first half, but hanging in there as they played their rival Marseilles.  At the end of the half, Milton Pope was down by 10.  The team mounted a strong comeback in the second half.

But then, with three seconds on the clock, Marseilles was up by one point and was at the free throw line about to dash the hopes of Milton Pope.  That's when Milton Pope's #44 Cooper Thorson grabs the rebound of the missed free throw and launches it from the back corner with his left arm.

The game clock buzzes as the ball is in mid-air.  The ball swishes through the net without touching the backboard or rim.  The shot was as perfect as it gets.  The team goes crazy.  The coaches don't even know what to do with themselves.  Check out the video below.

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Sure some luck was involved.  But you can't downplay the fast action of this 6-foot-tall 8th grader.  Under pressure, he grabs the rebound, dribbles the ball out to the corner, and launches it before time runs out.

Not only did his team take home a 34-32 victory, but the video has gone viral all over the planet.  In fact, ESPN put Cooper's shot in the Top 10 highlights of the week.  Not many 8th graders hold that honor.

Side note: I can't imagine how the other team must feel.  They were confident they were walking out of there with a victory only to have one colossal shot dash their hopes.  What a game.