YOUNG ATHLETES BATTLE FOR FISTFUL OF BASKETS : WINNERS WILL MOVE AHEAD IN NATIONAL CONTEST.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Eight-year-old Lorne M. Bell quietly walked up to the chalk-drawn free throw line and started throwing the basketball up to the hoop set up at the Elks Lodge on Saturday.

Almost all of his shots went in.

``It was fun,'' was all Lorne had to say when he finished.

But Elks Lodge volunteer William McColgan told Lorne's mother that 22 for 25 shots could land him in the 25-year-old National Free Throw Contest, sponsored by Elks National and local chapters.

This is the first year that the Simi Valley chapter has held the local hoop shoot at the lodge, McColgan said. Volunteers used to visit the schools, letting boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 13 take their best shots, he said. The children are divided into three age groups.

But with not enough volunteers to go around this time, chapter members decided that children who were interested in competing would make the trip to 1561 Kuehner Drive, where the lodge is located. Children who haven't participated can go by the lodge this coming Saturday.

Elks members distributed information to the local schools and newspapers to let area children know about the contest, McColgan said.

Renee Bell, of Simi Valley, said she asked her son if he would be interested in participating after getting a memo from his school, Atherwood Elementary.

``He loves basketball. Anything having to do with it and he'll go for it,'' Bell said. ``He's been doing it since he was 2, when he picked a plastic basketball hoop out of a catalog.''

Tony Pietrolungo, 12, of Simi Valley, was already interested in the competition when his mother told him about it after reading about it in the newspaper. Then he talked to some friends who tried, and knew he wanted to do it.

``I just wanted to go for it,'' Tony said. ``They said it was fun to do.''

Tony didn't seem too excited about making an impressive 17 out of 25 baskets, but his mother knew better.

``He doesn't smile like this usually. He's usually pretty down on himself, so this is pretty good,'' Liz Pietrolungo said.

Winners from the Simi Valley chapter will advance to the district competition, which includes children from Los Angeles and Ventura counties, McColgan said.

Those winners advance to the state and possibly the national competition, which will be in Springfield, Mass., he said. The Elks organization picks up all costs of travel and participation, he said.

Elks National has a plaque at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield that lists past winners of the Hoop Shoot, and most are from the East Coast, McColgan said.

``We want to get someone from California on there,'' McColgan said.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--color in SIMI only) Twelve-year-old Tony Pietrolungo of Simi Valley follows through on his free throw in Saturday's hoop shoot at the Simi Elks Club.

(2) Elks member William McColgan watches Tony Pietrolungo's ball descend from the hoop. The boy made 17 out of 25 baskets.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News