PIERRE, S.D. – Six local kids were winners in the Elks Lodge No. 1953 Hoop Shoot at the Georgia Morse Middle School gym on Sunday evening.
Molly Olson, Jett Yackley, Ava Johnson, Wesley Wittler, Reese Terwilliger, and Dawson Getz each won their age group and will advance to the Elks State Hoop Shoot on February 2, 2019, at Georgia Morse Middle School in Pierre, S.D.
In the 12- and 13-year old division, Terwilliger, who lives in Pierre and attends Georgia Morse Middle School, won the girls competition by making 17 of her 25 shots. Mattie Duffy and Mary Melhaff finished second and third, respectively. In the same age group, Getz, another Georgia Morse Middle School student from Pierre, hit 18 of his 25 free throws, which was the highest total of the evening. Luke Olson and Colter Babcock each hit 14 free throws. Babcock won the tiebreaker to finish in second place.
Wittler is a local contest winner for the third-straight year. The Onida resident who attends Sully Buttes hit 17 shots to lead the 10- and 11-year old boys division. Eddie Duffy and Weston Prince followed with 15 and 8 free-throws made, respectively. On the girls side, Johnson made 13 free throws. She lives in Pierre and attends St. Joseph School. McKenzie Newell and Brynn Stoeser finished in second and third places.
For the youngest division, Molly Olson, a Fort Pierre resident who goes to St. Joseph’s School, hit 10 shots for the win. Ally Keyes and Ellen Hart both hit nine of their first 25 shots. Hart won the tiebreaker shoot-off to take second place. Sully Buttes student Jett Yackley sunk 15 free throws to win the 8- and 9-year old age group. Carter Templeton finished second with nine hit shots, and Miles Holden finished in third place with eight makes.
In total, 39 local kids participated in the free, annual free-throw contest. The lodge contest is the first step in advancing the April national championships in Chicago. The winners of the South Dakota contest on February 2 will compete at the regionals in Rapid City in March against the Montana and North Dakota state winners.
The Hoop Shoot is a signature kids program sponsored by the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, which is a 141-year old, national fraternal organization. For more information about the Hoop Shoot or Elks Lodge No. 1953, please visit elks.org.