Local students compete in free throw competition
- Chris Abbott
- Jan 29
- 2 min read
Chris Abbott
Editor
The annual Delhi-LaSalette Knights of Columbus Council 5095 Free Throw Championships in Delhi was the first step.
And it was a big one for 10 winners, ages 9-13, from Delhi Public School, Saint Frances Cabrini School, and Teeterville Public School.
The January 14th winners at St. Frances are eligible to compete at the district championship, Saturday, Feb. 8 at Lakewood Elementary School in Port Dover. First-place winners from that event advance to regionals in London.
Co-organizer Dan Verhoeve from the Delhi-LaSalette Knights of Columbus thanked St. Frances for hosting the event, and thanked all of the schools for participating, including students and teachers, as well as the volunteers.
Verhoeve, with co-organizer Peter Bacro, said it was another good turnout – about the same as 2024 – but the audience, seated along the sides of the gymnasium might have been a bit bigger.
Students – three from each school in each category - were given 15 shots consecutively. In the case of ties, they were broken in a five-shot shootout.
“It wasn’t that much harder (in the shootout),” said Kate Leclerc from St. Frances, who had completed seven out 15 shots. “It was just kind of like a little more stressful.”
Leclerc was ‘in the zone’ the shootout, scoring on four of her five to win the 13-year-old girls division.
Jordyn Brooks from Teeterville, who had completed four out of 15, won a shootout in the 12-year-old girls category. Brooks had sunk her last couple shots in the 15-shot round to force the tie-breaking shootout, and that momentum carried over. She scored on her first three extra shots.
“I just went to the same spot and did the same thing – I didn’t move my feet,” said Brooks, who admitted being a little nervous.
“Stressed,” said nine-year-old Ivy Robyn from St. Frances, describing the feeling of going to the line for a shootout in her first-ever Knights of Columbus free throw competition.
Robyn said she concentrated on not changing anything to win the nine-year-old girls division.
“I did the same technique,” she said.
The hottest shooter of the day may have been Luka Lowes of Teeterville, who completed 11 of 15 shots to win the 10-year-old boys division.
“It felt good – I did really, really good,” said Lowes, who was successful on his first consecutive seven shots and was ‘kind of’ thinking about hitting an incredible 15 in a row.
Lowes did miss the next two, but rebounded to get four of his last six at his second Council 5095 Free Throw Championship – and his first division win.
His goal at the district championships in Port Dover? Win, of course.
“Maybe, if I try my best,” Lowes smiled.
With five division champions, St. Frances won this year’s overall team trophy.
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