Breckenridge youths sink their shots, advance to district Hoop Shoot competition
Five Breckenridge youths will represent the community at the district Hoop Shoot free-throw contest after advancing from the local competition, which was hosted Sunday, Jan. 4, by the Stephens County Elks Lodge No. 1480.
The contest is for kids ages 8 to 13, divided into three age groups: 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13.
This year’s Breckenridge Hoop Shoot winners were:
- Girls, 8-9, first place: Britta Miller; second place: Elsie Freeman
- Boys, 8-9, first place: Miles Morehart; second place: Marco Martinez
- Girls, 10-11, first place: Jemma Lancaster; second place: Millie Walling
- Boys, 10-11, first place: Richard Zamora; second place: Case Duran
- Boys 12-13, first place: Bostyn Navarro; second place: Pate Gill
Medals were presented in each category, and the first-place winners are eligible to participate in the district hoop shoot on Jan. 17 in Arlington. The Elks Lodge will provide gas money for that trip.
The winners from the district contest will go on to the state competition in Carrollton on Feb. 21, followed by the regional contest in Dallas on March 14 and the national contest in Chicago on April 18. Everything above the district level will be an overnight trip, and the participants and their parents will get to attend the events as guests of the Elks.
Six national winners — a boy and a girl in each age category — will be named. The national winners will each receive a trophy and have their name inscribed on a plaque in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. The top-scoring boy and girl will be named the national champions and will receive the Getty Powell Award, which is named after the first National Director of the Hoop Shoot.
Last year, Breckenridge’s Millie Walling placed first in the Girls 8-9 division at the district competition and then went on to win the state contest. She advanced to the regional hoop shoot, where she came in third place.
According to the Elks Hoop Shoot website, the contest gives kids the “opportunity to participate in a fun, age-appropriate program that sets them up for future success.”
The kids competing in this year’s Breckenridge Hoop Shoot included Britta Miller, Elsie Freeman, Miles Morehart, Marco Martinez, Camden Walling, Jemma Lancaster, Millie Walling, Charlotte Cawley, Richard Zamora, Case Duran, Trey Duran, Noah Crabtree, Kaidyn Milam, Mason Martinez, Layton Luna, Davis Morehart, Bostyn Navarro, Pate Gill, Jackson Morehart, Drake Forbes, Cooper Walling and Kaelem Hinson.
Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery from the 2026 Hoop Shoot.
In the Hoop Shoot Girls 8-9 division, Britta Miller, center right, placed first and Elsie Freeman, center left, placed second. They were presented with their medals by Elks Lodge No. 1480 Exalted Ruler John Powell, left, and Hoop Shoot coordinator Wayne Justus, right. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
In the Hoop Shoot Boys 8-9 division, Miles Morehart, center left, placed first and Marco Martinez, center right, placed second. They were presented with their medals by Elks Lodge No. 1480 Exalted Ruler John Powell, left, and Hoop Shoot coordinator Wayne Justus, right. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
In the Hoop Shoot Girls 10-11 division, Jemma Lancaster, center left, placed first and Millie Walling, center right, placed second. They were presented with their medals by Elks Lodge No. 1480 Exalted Ruler John Powell, left, and Hoop Shoot coordinator Wayne Justus, right. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
In the Hoop Shoot Boys 10-11 division, Richard Zamora, center right, placed first and Case Duran, center left, placed second. They were presented with their medals by Elks Lodge No. 1480 Exalted Ruler John Powell, left, and Hoop Shoot coordinator Wayne Justus, right. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
In the Hoop Shoot Boys 12-13 division, Bostyn Navarro, center right, placed first and Pate Gill, center left, placed second. They were presented with their medals by Elks Lodge No. 1480 Exalted Ruler John Powell, left, and Hoop Shoot coordinator Wayne Justus, right. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Twenty-two Breckenridge youths participated in the 2026 Hoop Shoot, sponsored by local Elks Lodge No. 1480, on Sunday, Jan. 4. The first place winner in each age category will advance to the district competition later this month. Click here to see more pictures from the event. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Bostyn Navarro shoots a free throw while others in the Boys 12-13 division wait their turns. Bostyn placed first in the division and will be competing in the district contest on Jan. 17 in Arlington, representing Breckenridge, along with the other local first place winners. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
