Elks announce 2011 Hoop Shoot winners

Van Wert Lodge 1197, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, hosted its annual Hoop Shoot competition on November 5. Boys and girls competed in three different age groups during the event.  Forty-one Van Wert area youths participated in this year’s free throw shooting contest. Thanks to local sponsors Laudicks’ Jewelry, Pizza Hut, Lee’s Ace Hardware and Lee Kinstle GM Sales & Service,  all 41 contestants received t-shirts and prizes for their efforts.

In the girl’s 8-9 year old division, Bailey Gregory shot the lights out with a score of 16 free throws made out of 25 possible. Finishing in second place was Brianna Ebel with 10 shots made, and Carly Rollins  took third in the division by making eight free throws.

In the boy’s 8-9 year old division, Anthony Jenkins finished in first place with a score of 18, while Daniel Miller finished in second place after outshooting third-place finisher Carson Kreischer in a playoff. Both boys made 11 free throws during the regulation round.

In the girls 10-11 year old division, Avery McLoy was the champion, making 11 of 25 shots, while Alexis took second place, making nine free throws and Paige Moonshower finished third.

In the boys 10-11 year old division, Javin Etzler won the competition after winning a playoff against Alek Bowersock, who finished second. Both shooters made 17 of 25 free throws after the first two rounds of competition.  Drew Kline was a very close third place finisher with 16 shots made.

Meghan Moonshower was the champion in the 12-13 year old girls division with a score of 14 shots made. Ally Jackson finished second with a score of 13, and Cody Miller finished third with 12 shots made.

The boys 12 and 13-year-old division turned in the highest score of the day. Ryan McCracken dominated the competition by making 22 of 25 free throws to take first place. Brock Blythe finished second with a score of 16 shots made and Michael Etter took third place.

The winner of each division will move on to the District Hoop Shoot, which will be held on January 15 in Findlay.

“This year’s Hoop Shoot was very successful,” said Hoop Shoot Director Chuck Rollins. “We had a lot of kids come out to compete with each other and, thanks to our sponsors, Pizza Hut, Ace Hardware, Lee Kinstle GM and Laudick’s Jewelry, we were able to provide a really nice event at no cost to our local youth, with some great prizes awarded to all of the participants.

“We also had many Elks members who volunteered to referee and keep score during the event to make this another successful contest,” Rollins added.