BRIEFLY: SIKESTON TEEN CAPTURES NATIONAL HOOP CONTEST

SIKESTON -- Sikeston High School sophomore Troey Sitzes recently won the 15-17-year-old boys division at the recent International Basketball Shootout in Las Vegas.

Sitzes scored an impressive 72 points to win the championship. Each contestant shot 25 free throws and 25 3-pointers, with a total of 100 points possible.

Fellow Sikeston sophomore Amanda Metzger shot a little lower than what she had expected but still came away with a score of 53 to place her fourth in the 15-17-year-old girls division.

The International Basketball Shootout started with more than 500,000 participants at the local level. Only the top 10 finishers from each state qualified for the national competition.

After advancing through local competition, Sitzes and Metzger both traveled to Jefferson City for the state event, from where they qualified for nationals.