Free throw champs crowned at Knights of Columbus contest

The local level of the Knights of Columbus held their Free-Throw competition on Sunday with over 30 shooters competing. The sound of leather swishing through vinyl rang out at the Malta Elementary Gym as young hoopsters gave it their best, each taking 15 scored shots from the Charity Stripe.

When the event concluded, 10 young athletes can now claim to be this year's best free throw shooters in Malta and add their names to an impressive list of winners over the past 25 years. Former winners of the competition include Zach Handley, Kendal Denham, Jace Anderson, Kylee Denham, Stacey Nevrivy, Julian Keller, RJ Tollefson and Bobbi Knudsen, all of whom went on to collegiate success in basketball (and Knudsen is currently playing pro ball in Europe.)

"You look at some of the kids who have won our local and State Championships in the past few years, Zach Handley for instance,"Don Nevrivy said, head of the Knight of Columbus contest for the last 15 years. "You look at the career he had playing basketball at Malta High School. Or you look at Kendal Denham and Jace Anderson, last week one scored 27 and one scored 16 points in a win at MSU Billings."

The event unfolded with the athletes competing by age, youngest to oldest as the day progressed.

In the first hotly contested match up of the day, Erica Smith and Sidney Meeks went to double overtime to decide a winner with Smith narrowly beating out her classmate. Following their competition, the two girls said that they compete against each other all the time and have fun doing so.

"We pretty much compete in everything," said Smith.

Meeks said that the duo have been playing basketball together for the past couple of years and when asked who is better at the sport, both of the girls pointed at the other.

Though she lost out to her friend, Meeks thought she did fairly well with her shots.

"It came down to the tie-breakers and I was just really nervous," she said. "Second place is good though."

Jared Eggebrecht had the hottest hand of the day, knocking down 13 of 15 shots on his way to the boys aged 10 portion of the contest, his second victory in as many years. When asked how he fared so well on the day, he chalked his performance up to preparation. He said free throw shooting is all about having good form and said his father, Brian, taught him how to shoot. When asked who would win in a shootout between Brain and himself, Jared said he wasn't sure, but Brain added "probably him."

Winners: Age 9: Girls: Samme Gibbs. Boys: Jonathan Siewing. Age 10: Girls: Madyson Williamson. Boys: Jared Eggebrecht. Age 11: Girls: N/A. Boys: Conner Clausen. Age 12:Girls: Erica Smith. Boys: Kooper Oxarart. Age 13: Girls: Janessa Malmend. Boys: Rhett Simanton. Age 14: Girls: Taylor Eggebrecht. Boys: David Skiff.

Skiff, Jared Eggebrecht, Simanton and Oxarart each won their age range at last year's event in Malta.

The winners of Sunday's competition will now advance to the District Championship in Havre.