Jack Olinto, Abby Broderick sharpest shooters at A Shot for Life Challenge

WESTFORD — A year ago, Jack Olinto came close to capturing the A Shot For Life Challenge title only to watch his dream slip away en route to a second-place finish.

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When he got a crack at redemption Sunday at The Mill Works in Westford, the Archbishop Williams rising senior Olinto didn’t squander it. With his father John and grandfather John Olinto as rebounders, and his mother and grandmother also in attendance, Olinto shot a sizzling 88.96 percent to secure the crown.

“Basketball is his life,” said his grandfather. “He doesn’t have a girlfriend. He doesn’t have a driver’s license. He doesn’t have a car. All he has is a basketball. He eats, sleeps, and drinks basketball.”

The 6-foot-2-inch South End resident caught fire in his own cozy corner of the complex, leaning on a rhythmic, almost-robotic motion to prevail. He learned from last year and slowed down slightly in the final half-hour to distance himself from the pack.

Olinto rose to the occasion with his great uncle, Jack Walsh, in mind, as Walsh battles esophageal cancer and endures chemotherapy.

“He comes to all my games and is someone that I really look up to,” Olinto said. “I just hope he gets better.”

Ipswich rising senior Rex Satter (81.20 percent) and Nobles rising junior Jack Charchaflian (80.90) of Beverly rounded out the boys’ top three.

Medfield rising junior Abby Broderick dominated the girls’ field, hitting 85.18 percent of her shots. Phillips Andover rising junior Jules Stevenson of Beverly earned second (77.05) and Nobles rising senior Izzy Kittredge of Medfield took third (75.66).

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“There are so many amazing shooters out here, a bunch of my teammates,” Broderick said. “Anyone could have taken it. It means a lot.”

Broderick, who scored 25 points in the Division 2 state final to help Medfield cement a 25-0 season, fired away in the free throw portion of the event. She took her time on 3-pointers, corralling her father Mike’s passes, dribbling purposefully around the arc, then letting it fly.

When she hit a brief rut in the final 10 minutes — at least by her lofty standards — Broderick quickly regrouped to finish strong.

“Abby is really young to win this event,” said Mike Slonina, the organization’s founder and CEO. “It’s hard to win this event, period. It’s special to show up here and shoot like that.”

While Slonina marveled at Broderick and Olinto’s marksmanship, he also tipped his cap to every participant for having the courage to compete on an island with everyone watching.

Together, those involved raised $55,000 for brain cancer research. As much as the organization expands, and each state and sport signify a special beginning, keeping the basketball brand alive will always carry extra significance for Slonina.

“Basketball is a huge part of my life,” Slonina said. “It’s really cool to be able to share that with all of these players, and also fund critical, life-saving care with that love of basketball. It’s just a really special thing.”

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