Desert Hills student swishes 2 half-court shots 3 weeks apart to win halftime promotions

ST. GEORGE — For the second time in three weeks, a Desert Hills High School student won the main $500 prize at a basketball game for making four shots, including one from half court, during a halftime promotion.

L-R: Desert Hills student Nate McMillan, Jamie Bahlmann of Stephen Wade Auto, baseball player Lance Kinross, and student Brexton Hansen pose with ceremonial checks representing money won for DHHS clubs and teams in the “Shoot 4 Cash” halftime promotion, St. George, Utah, Jan. 23, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Jamie Bahlmann, St. George News

Remarkably, the feat was accomplished by the same student both times: Desert Hills senior Lance Kinross, a member of the Thunder’s baseball team.

Kinross first took the court on Jan. 23 at halftime during Desert Hills’ home basketball game against Pine View. The “Shoot 4 Cash” promotion gives selected participants a chance to make as many as four progressively longer shots within a 30-second time limit, starting with a layup, then a free throw, followed by a 3-pointer and an approximately 45-foot shot from the half-court line.

As seen in the video above, Kinross misses just one shot, his first 3-point attempt, but makes all four of the others to win $500 for the school’s baseball team, courtesy of event sponsors Stephen Wade Auto, High School Sports Insider magazine and KSL Cars.

The nearly two-minute video, initially posted to YouTube by HS SportsInsider, is shared by St. George News with permission and courtesy of the sponsors.

“We work with the school and post a video on their Instagram,” said Jamie Bahlmann, marketing representative for Stephen Wade Auto, as she explained how the ongoing social media promotion works. “The students go on and comment and like the name of the organization. From the organizations with the highest number of comments, we choose three, and then they get to shoot during the halftime show.”

So when Desert Hills played its last home game of the boys basketball season Wednesday night against Dixie, it was the Thunder’s track, softball and swim teams’ turn to try their hand at the promotion. The swim and softball teams each chose a player belonging to their own program, namely Payton Plumb and Katelyn Philips, respectively, both of whom successfully made it as far as the 3-pointer, thereby winning $250 each for their teams.

L-R: Desert Hills swimmer Payton Plumb, baseball player Lance Kinross, Jamie Bahlmann of Stephen Wade Auto and softball player Katelyn Philips pose with ceremonial checks representing money won for DHHS teams in the “Shoot 4 Cash” halftime promotion, St. George, Utah, Feb. 13, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Jamie Bahlmann, St. George News

But the DHHS track team decided to enlist the help of Kinross, apparently figuring he could replicate his remarkable feat from three weeks earlier.

“Lance got called down to the office and asked if he would shoot for the track and field organization. He said sure,” Bahlmann told St. George News.

As shown in the video, Kinross calmly swished all four shots in less than half the allotted time, after which he was mobbed by his fellow students, just as he had been by his baseball teammates the first time around.

Also winning $250 each during the Jan. 23 promotion were Nate McMillan on behalf of the DHHS student council and Brexton Hansen for the school’s ProStart foods class.

Kinross, a right-handed pitcher, recently committed to play collegiate baseball for Moorpark College in California.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

 

Lance Kinross

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