Basketball Program Fundraises With Free Throw Derby

Eight teams, 20 minutes, two gyms, two hours. All of these compile into one annual event — the Free Throw Derby. On Sunday, Jan. 6, the freshman, sophomore, junior varsity and varsity players of the boy’s and girl’s basketball teams met at East to raise money for the teams.

For 20 minutes, the players shot free throws while parent volunteers stood under each basket and kept score on a tally sheet. For each basket a player made, a donation was given to the East basketball fund by sponsors.

Each player was given a form to obtain pledges from friends and family. The player’s were told to find sponsors, or someone who would pay a certain amount of money for every shot the player made. The goal was to convince sponsors to pay at least 10 cents per shot.

Each grade level had a boy and a girl who scored the most goals, and were given a prize. From the freshmen class Davis Morrison and Chloe Harrington made the most baskets. Akshay Dinakar and Hannah Nick won from the sophomore class. From the junior class, John Sears and Erin McGinley scored the most points while for the seniors Vance Wentz and Rae Ehly were the winners.

In the past, the fundraiser was only amongst the girl’s teams. This was the first year that the boy’s teams participated as well.