Three dribbles and a swish.

That’s 9-year-old Garrett Little’s method and it seems to work well for the Greywolf Elementary fourth-grader.

This week he’s headed to the Elks Hoop Shoot National Finals free throw contest taking place on April 16 in Chicago, Ill. As the competition approaches, Garrett said he feels “excited and nervous” but speaks modestly about his success.

“I didn’t think I’d go all the way to Chicago,” he said.

Garrett is one of six winners in different age divisions from the Northwest Region, including Isabelle Felton of Naval Elks Lodge No. 353 in Port Angeles. They both won the ages 8-9 boys and girls divisions on March 12 to advance and compete against 11 other regional winners nationwide.

Garrett won his first two tournaments this year at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club for the city (Sequim) finals and the district finals. He made it onto the state tournament at St. Martin’s University in Lacey where things got close.

Garrett and another shooter tied at 17 out of 25, leading to a shoot-off where his competitor made five in row and so did Garrett, followed by another five between the two of them before the boy made four and Garrett remained perfect, sinking five to advance.

At the Northwest Regionals at Clark College in Vancouver, Garrett found himself in another shoot-off but this time he went first, sinking the first five, followed by his competitor doing the same. Garrett made four in the next round and so did the boy but Garrett swished five in a row and the other boy only four.

For his efforts, Garrett won a special award for making the most free throws of any competitor with 24.

To keep the shooting touch and momentum going, Garrett and his dad have maintained a daily routine of shooting upwards of 200 free throws typically in sets of 25. They’ve done this since the beginning of the competition.

Last year was the first time Garrett could compete in the competition and he took second at the city event.

This year his practice regime has hit the mark with his highest total coming in at 97 out of 100 free throws, his dad said.

“It’s a rhythm thing,” Gary Little said. “If we do (the competition) again next year I think he has a good chance to win it all too.”

For 8-9 year olds, Garrett shoots from 11 feet out while older players shoot from 15 feet.

Garrett said he dribbles three times before shooting and that players can dribble up to four times but if they do more, a player can lose a point.

At the competitions, Gary and Garrett say the courts are so quiet that the only thing you can hear are the balls bouncing.

But through the excitement and nervousness of the competition, Garrett said he knows one thing for sure — he’s a better free throw shooter than ever before.

The Elks Hoop Shoot is fully funded by the Elks National Foundation, the charitable arm of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the USA.

For more information about the competition, visit www.elks.org/hoopshoot.