Thanks to the Pierre Capital Journal for publishing this story!
December 9, 2019
Alice Rapp, Molly Olson, Ava Johnson, Luke Olson, Eddie Duffy and Palmer Torgrude each won their age group at the 2019 Elks Lodge No. 1953 Hoop Shoot Sunday at Georgia Morse Middle School. The champions are now eligible to compete at the State Hoop Shoot on Feb. 1 at Georgia Morse Middle School.
In the 12- and 13-year-old division, Johnson and Lennix DuPris each hit 17 of the 25 standard competitive shots. Johnson, who lives in Pierre and attends Georgia Morse Middle School, won the second tiebreaker to win her division for the second year in a row. On the boys’ side of the oldest age group, Luke Olson, a Georgia Morse Middle School student from Fort Pierre, made 15 of his 25 free throws to win the title. Wyatt Mortenson finished second, and Vincent Scott claimed third place.
Duffy, a Fort Pierre student at Stanley County, hit 17 shots to lead the 10- and 11-year-old boys division. Asa Best and Grady Hofer followed with 11 shots in regulation, but Best finished in second place after surviving three tiebreakers. On the girls’ side, Molly Olson defended her Hoop Shoot champion title from last year by making 11 free throws in the 10-11 year-old age group. She lives in Fort Pierre and attends St. Joseph’s School. Adde Christopherson and Ally Keyes finished second and third, respectively.
For the youngest division, Rapp, a Fort Pierre resident who goes to Buchanan Elementary, hit 12 shots for the win in the girls’ 8-9 year-old group. Rayya Hofer and Lexie Hillmer both hit eight of their first 25 shots. Hofer won the tiebreaker shoot-off to take second place. It took a tiebreaker for Torgrude to win the 8- and 9-year-old boys’ division. He and Jaylen Keyes each made 12 of 25 free throws, forcing a tiebreaker Torgrude won. Torgrude lives in Pierre and attends Jefferson Elementary. Weston Terwilliger finished third in the division.
In total, 26 kids participated in Sunday’s free, annual free-throw contest. The lodge contest is the first step in advancing to the April national championships in Chicago. The winners of the South Dakota contest on Feb. 1 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 142-year-old, national fraternal organization. For more information about the Hoop Shoot or Elks Lodge No. 1953, please visit elks.org