BUTLER TWP — The 43-year drought has ended — courtesy of Madden Clement.

The 11-year-old Meridian resident won the 10-11 championship of the 44th annual Elks State Hoop Shoot Finals held recently in State College.

Clement became the first Butler participant to win a state Hoop Shoot title since Vince Rajchel won the boys 10-11 title in 1973. That was the first year of the statewide Hoop Shoot program.

The Hoop Shoot is a free throw shooting competition. There are three age divisions — girls and boys 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13 — and participants shoot 25 free throws each. Only the winners of each division advance.

“We’ve had a few kids come close to the state title over the years, but we haven’t anybody win it through all this time,” said John Prokopchak, one of the directors of the Butler Elks Lodge 1170 Hoop Shoot.

Madden Clement is the son of Matt and Heather Clement. Their eldest son, Mattis, has reached the state finals before and Madden got there last year.

Matt Clement is the coach of the Butler High School varsity boys basketball team. His sons are heavily involved in youth sports.

“You can’t jump over the line when you shoot your free throws in this competition,” Matt Clement said. “That’s something Madden had to watch out for because he does jump when he shoots foul shots.

“They used a regulation ball in the Hoop Shoot, too. At his age group in youth games, they use the smaller-size basketball. So that took some getting used to.”

Madden sank 24 of 25 free throws to win the local Hoop Shoot — sinking 24 straight after missing his first shot. He sank 22 of 25 in beating out 10 others at the district competition.

He sank 19 of 25 free throws at the state finals, tying with two others. Ties are broken via a five-shot playoff. All three made four of the five shots to force a second five-shot playoff.

Madden made all five of his free throws in the second playoff to win the championship.

“I was nervous,” Madden admitted. “But I practiced a lot, too. I had a routine.

“I was pretty excited when I finally won.”

Madden said he shot “about 100 free throws every day” throughout the Hoop Shoot competitions, which covered a period of weeks.

When asked whether he practiced after school or after dinner, he replied: Both ... whatever worked out.”

Madden will compete in the Hoop Shoot regionals Saturday in Wilkes-Barre. He will go up against state champions from New York and New Jersey.

That winner moves on to the national competition in Chicago next month.

At the state finals, competitors were lined up in chairs in the middle of the court. When one’s turn came up, he was allotted up to five warm-up shots. He then took 10 free throws and went to the back of the line.

Each competitor shot 15 free throws the second time through.

“Only one kid shot at a time, so the spotlight was really on you,” Matt Clement said. “There’s a lot of people watching and it requires poise to do well and get through that.

“What I’m most proud of with Madden is that he went off and practiced on his own each day, without me telling him to or going out there with him. He worked in the time around his homework and team practices.”

More than three million boys and girls participated in the Elks Hoop Shoot nationally this year. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were represented.