Rising Sun Brother, Sister Win Free Throw State Championships

Those Merica kids can shoot the lights out.

(Noblesville, Ind.) – A pair of Rising Sun siblings are Indiana’s best free throw shooters in their respective age groups.

Fourteen-year-old Peyton Merica and 11-year-old Reese Merica claimed the titles at Saturday’s Indiana Knights of Columbus 2019 Free Throw Championships at Guerin Catholic High School.

Peyton earned his boys age 14 division championship trophy by sinking 23 of his 25 free throw attempts, one better than the runner-up.

Reese nearly matched her brother by connecting on 22 of 25 foul shots to win the girls age 11 division. The next closest competitor hit only 15.

There were other basketball sharpshooters from southeastern Indiana in the state competition:

• Rising Sun’s Mason Bascom, boys age 9, tied for third place by making 13-of-25,
• Brookville’s Audrey Mears, girls age 9, placed sixth by making 4-of-25,
• Rising Sun’s Avery Elliott, girls age 10, runner-up by making 18-of-25, then lost 2-3 in the tiebreaker,
• Aurora’s Noah Rogers, boys age 11, runner-up by making 20-of-25,
• Osgood’s Julia Meyer, girls age 12, fourth place by making 20-of-25, then losing in the first round of tiebreaking,
• Rising Sun’s Nate Elliott, boys age 13, runner-up by making 21-of-25,
• Vevay’s Macy Collier, girls age 13, placed fourth making 12-of-25.

The local kids’ paths to the free throw state finals began at the Knights of Columbus Council 1231 free throw competition held January 26 at St. Lawrence School.

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