The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks held their Annual Northeast Central Regional Hoop Shoot Competition on March 26th in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Grace Thomas from Apalachin, who represented Owego Elks Lodge #1039 was the winner in the Girls 10-11 year old competition.
Grace made 16 out of 25 shots in the regular competition to make the National Finals in Springfield, MA on April 30th.
She competed against the State Champions from New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
On February 26th, Grace became State Champion in Poughkeepsie, NY after qualifying in Local, District and State Regional Competition.
She was the best of almost 11,000 girls in New York State that competed in that age group.
Grace will now compete against 11 other contestants throughout the United States to become the National Hoop Shoot Champion.
Winners of the National Competition will receive first place honors and will also have their name inscribed on the wall of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.
In the country over 3 million boys and girls ages 8-13 compete in this National Contest.
