Cinco Ranch Junior High student Camille Torrence won second place in the 2020 Texas Elks State Association Hoop Shoot free throw contest held in Carrollton on Feb. 22.

Torrence, 13, placed second in the 12-13-year-old girls division, sinking 21 out of 25 attempts and missing first place in a shootout to break a tie. She competed against eight other district champions from around the state.

To earn a spot in the state competition, Torrence won her local contest, sponsored by Katy Elks Lodge, and then the Gulf Coast district shoot-off. In preparation, Torrence practiced tirelessly, taking hundreds of shots each day.

Torrence will be a stand-by for the four-state regional contest held in Carrollton on March 22, with the national finals in Chicago, Illinois, on April 18.

Torrence is a seventh-grade student who played on the school’s undefeated district champion ‘A’ team this season. At 5-foot-11, she primarily plays the wing and post on her AAU basketball team but is versatile enough to play all five positions.

Torrence wears No. 34 in honor of one of her all-time favorite players, Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon. Her favorite current player is the Los Angeles Lakes’ LeBron James. Her favorite team is the Rockets.

This year, more than 220,000 kids in Texas are expected to have competed in the contest, according to Kelly McDermott, TESA Hoop Shoot director. Nationwide, more than 1.5 million boys and girls will compete in three different age groups.

“Texas Elks realizes that our children are our future, and it is important for them to learn the necessary steps to achieving goals in order to grow into successful productive adults,” TESA President Andy Mishaga said. “This is an experience they will remember and benefit from their entire lives. It is a great honor for us to be able to provide this friendly competition as a tool for our future leaders.”

The Order of Elks is a fraternal organization with nearly one million members nationwide and distributes more than $36 million annually for scholarship, community and other charitable programs.