Sports Notebook:

Young basketball players moving on: Fabi Jimenez and Elijah Cain, both area middle school students, continued their dominance in the 2009-10 Elks National Hoop Shoot free-throw contest.

Representing Burbank Elks Lodge No. 1497, the two sharpshooters won their third straight competition Saturday at River Heights Intermediate School in Corona.

Jimenez ran away from a field of 10 in the girls’ 10-11 age group, sinking her first 10 shots. She ended up shooting 84% (21 of 25), as she easily outdistanced her closest competitor to earn first place prize.

Cain faced stiffer competition in the boys’ 12-13 age group of 10 participants. Shooting a sizzling 88% (22 of 25), he withstood the pressure by sinking his final eight shots to nose out his nearest competitor by one.

Both athletes might have the opportunity to participate in the West Region 7 Hoop Shoot semifinal Feb. 2 in Las Vegas. They won’t know if they qualified until after the Northern California Hoop Shoot in Sacramento to be held this Saturday.

Their winning scores will be pitted against the Northern California winners to see who will represent the state at the Las Vegas contest. The victors from Las Vegas will qualify for the National Hoop Shoot Final in Springfield, Mass. in April.

— Jeff Tully