Area Teams in T. Todt shootout vs. cancer Dec. 9 in Litchfield

By Tom Emery

Several area high school basketball teams will participate in a sixteen-team shooutout to honor the legacy of a beloved area broadcaster. The fifth annual T. Todt Shootout vs. Cancer event will be held Saturday, Dec. 9, at Litchfield High School, and will feature five boys’ and three girls’ games. Tickets are good all day and are $5 for adults, with $2 for children.

The event celebrates the life of Terry Todt, the longtime sports director at WSMI Radio, who died in May 2019 after a long battle with a debilitating form of appendix-based cancer. He was survived by his wife, Brenda, and their two children.

An immensely popular figure among coaches, players, and fans, Todt was a familiar voice to many with his enthusiastic love of high school sports and support of area youth, particularly in his hometown of Raymond. He was a member of several Halls of Fame, including the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and the Illinois Softball Coaches Association.

The shootout is organized by Tim Mize, one of Todt’s co-workers at WSMI. All eight games will be broadcast on WSMI 106.1-FM and online at wsmiradio.com. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Montgomery County Cancer Association, an organization that supports cancer victims and their families, and was highly important to Todt. First held at Carlinville on Dec. 8, 2018, the event has rotated among area high schools, including last year at Hillsboro.

The shootout begins at 9:30 a.m. with a girls’ game between Hillsboro and Nokomis, followed by a boys’ game between Hillsboro and Bunker Hill at 11 a.m. Carlinville teams will play in the next two games, starting with a girls’ matchup against Petersburg PORTA at 12:30 p.m. and a boys’ game against Edinburg at 2 p.m. The Gillespie boys then play Lebanon at 3:30 p.m.

Evening games include a boys’ game between Nokomis and North Mac at 5 p.m. The event then features a doubleheader between Litchfield and Raymond Lincolnwood, with a girls’ game at 6:30 p.m. and a boys’ contest at 8 p.m. to conclude the schedule.

Raffles with special prizes will be held throughout the day. For more information on the event or to make a donation, call Mize at (217)324.5921.