Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The free throw contest is March 17-18 in Dallas.
Three area youths will represent Quay County when they compete at the Regional Elks Hoopshoot in Dallas, Texas.
Keenan Daughtery of Logan and Dustin Bryant and Chantzee Elliott of San Jon will compete March 17-18 in a free throw basketball competition against student athletes from four other states.
“It feels really good to represent the Tucumcari and San Jon area in this contest,” Bryant said.
The three Quay County children are three of six children from New Mexico competing in the regional competition.
Bryant said this is his fourth year competing in the Elks Hoopshoot event and the second time he has made it to regionals. He said the first year he attended regionals, he lost by one shot. The competition is based on the best of 25 shots. The first round you shoot 10 shots, the second round you shoot 15 shots, Bryant said.
He said to compete in the event, there are three competitions: A local event in Tucumcari, district in Las Vegas and state in Rio Rancho.
He said at Rio Rancho, he was 25 of 25 in the 12-13-year-old boys division.
“I think it is going to be fun to compete at regionals,” said Daughtery, adding that he was nervous competing in the 8-9-year-old boys division on Feb. 19 at Rio Rancho. He said he was able to make 19 free throws in the competition.
“I shoot 100 free throws a day to practice,” Daughtery said.
Elliott said she was nervous during her competition at Rio Rancho with not only a chance at regionals on the line, but she was forced into a triple overtime tie breaker.
“It took three tie breaking matches that finally declared a winner,” Elliott said.
Elliott said she has been practicing shooting free throws at school. She said the practice helped her with her shooting skills and keeping her cool when at the line.
“I’m really excited to be competing at regionals,” Elliott said. “I look forward to representing Quay County at the event.”
If the students win at regionals, they will compete in the national competition in April in Chicago. If they win at nationals, they will be placed in the Elks Hall of Fame in Springfield, Missouri.