SM East senior Rae Ehly stood and the free throw line, raised the ball over her head, bent her knees and sent a perfectly arced shot through the bottom of the net.
Then she did it again.
And again. And again as many times as she could for 20 minutes straight — 229 times when it was all said and done.
“Phew,” she said coming off the foul line Sunday. “It does kind of wear your arm out.”
Ehly was one of more than 80 SM East students who participated in the annual Free Throw Derby, a fundraising event for the Lancers basketball programs. For the first four years, only members of the girls teams participated. This year, the boys joined in as well. Each participant signs up sponsors who pledge to donate a specific amount for every free throw the player makes. Organizer Christine Braasch said she expects the event to raise more than $2,000 for the teams, which will pay for uniforms, athletic supplies and travel costs.
