Girls basketball: Hackett’s buzzer-beater sends Naperville Central past Naperville North

The final seconds of the girls DVC game had plenty of drama and it extended beyond the final horn, as the final shot twirled around the rim before deciding the outcome.

With the score tied 42-42, the Redhawks stole the inbounds pass from the Huskies with 5.8 seconds left to play and eventually got the ball to Erin Hackett at the top of the key. Hackett, who had been limited to 4 points through three quarters, unleashed what proved to be one of her more memorable shots just prior to the buzzer.

As players and fans on both sides watched with anticipation, the ball eventually spun around and in for a game-winning 3-pointer that lifted the Redhawks (5-6, 1-1) to a third straight victory, 45-42.

“Shoot it and hope for the best,” Hackett replied when asked about the final seconds of the game. “That’s not my first [buzzer-beater] but it’s definitely the most important one. It’s nice to get our first conference win and it’s definitely going to give us a boost of confidence.”

The game went back and forth as the Huskies’ Natalie Frempong and the Redhawks’ Annabelle Kritzer exchanged basket after basket. The speedy Frempong led all scorers with 25 points, while Kritzer had 20 points and 11 rebounds.

The Huskies led 42-35 following a driving basket by Frempong with 3:35 left to play. But the visitors countered with a pair of free throws and then the first of Hackett’s clutch 3s late to set the stage for the wild finish.

“It’s kind of fitting that Erin got the final shot in a bit of a scramble,” Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “They know Erin can shoot and they were on her all night. We didn’t quit. We’ve gotten down in three of our wins and we could be more like 2-9. But 5-6, I like a lot more.”