CANYON CITY — A half-dozen Grant County kids are moving on to a regional basketball competition after emerging as the winners in their local brackets in the annual Hoop Shoot contest sponsored by the John Day Elks Lodge.

The Hoop Shoot is a national free throw-shooting contest of the Elks that started 50 years ago in Corvallis.

The competition is broken down into three age groups for boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 13, starting at the individual school level.

The Grant County finals were held Dec. 10 at Humbolt Elementary School in Canyon City, with the first-place winners in each bracket moving on to the Oregon East District competition in Heppner on Jan. 8. Some students were unable to compete due to illness or other factors, leaving some brackets without a full complement of contestants.

Here are the winners and runners-up from each bracket of the Grant County Hoop Shoot:

Girls, 8-9: Samantha Reitz, Humbolt, first; McKenzie Thompson, Dayville, second; Aria Workman, Prairie City, third

Boys, 8-9: Blaine James, Seneca, first; Cameron Courtney, Prairie City, second; Grayson Schmadeka, Dayville, third

Girls, 10-11: Hayden Workman, Prairie City, first; Rhynna Wyllie, Humbolt, second

Boys, 10-11: Branson Keith, Prairie City, first; Carson Thompson, Dayville, second

Girls, 12-13: Rylee Workman, Prairie City, first; Lilly Huerta, Humbolt, second; Jillie Thunnel, Dayville, third

Boys, 12-13: Brogan Rookstool, Prairie City, first