HANOVER — The never-ending war on cancer continues to wage on for millions around the globe. Meanwhile, countless organizations continue to battle the dreaded disease, including the growing Massachusetts-based athletic mainstay, ‘A Shot For Life.’

On Saturday, the foundation returned to its roots by hosting its 14th annual ASFL Challenge, the same basketball shooting tournament that gave life to the entire idea back in 2010.

Many of the participants had their own family cancer stories, including recent Catholic Memorial grad Ryan Higgins. The Roger Williams commit became just the second player to finish a back-to-back champion in the Challenge, winning the 2024 boys crown by shooting a stunning 87.2% from the field at Starland Sportsplex & Fun Park.

“It feels great, and means a lot to my family,” said Higgins. “My dad’s had cancer, and that’s what this organization is all about.”

Higgins’ father and mentor Bruce has been fighting melanoma for a few years, but has never shied from the game. The Catholic Memorial assistant coach and college-bound athlete took the court together, with Bruce rebounding for Ryan. At the moment, the father-son duo were having grand visions of a possible repeat.

Then Higgins hit his first 87 shots in stunning fashion. To close, he capped his performance with 24 straight three-pointers to seal the deal. Jay Jones of Cushing Academy was named the runner-up after clocking in at 85.3%.

Bruce beamed as Ryan accepted the hardware in the ceremonies, and the two shared a great moment together. The longtime coach says he is in much better health now.

“I’m doing great,” Bruce said. “I’m still in the battle, but I’m doing fine. I couldn’t be in a better place. Dana Farber has the best doctors and the best nurses in the world over there. So, I’m in great hands. For him to honor me like that, it means everything to me. He’s such a good kid, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

Meanwhile, in the ASFL girls competition, it was an entirely new experience for Worcester Academy’s Elyse MacDonough. The soon-to-be senior was taking part in the Challenge for her first time, but showed no signs of rust.

The St. Bonaventure commit closed her day with an impressive shooting mark of 82.39%, besting runner-up Kaelyn Carroll of Tabor Academy by 2.05% for the crown.

MacDonough was put in touch with ‘A Shot For Life’ after moving to the Commonwealth from Vermont, following a stint with the Lone Wolf Athletics AAU squad. She was competing for her former coach with the team, Wayne Lafley, who passed away in 2022 due to colon cancer.

“It’s close to me,” said MacDonough. “I really appreciated (ASFL) reaching out to me, to allow me to be a part of the organization, and giving me the opportunity to help raise money to help fund the research. I think that everything they’re doing is just for such an amazing cause, that being a part of it means so much.”

Mike Slonina has spent nearly half of his life constructing ASFL from a simple idea into a massive movement. The fun fact is that it all started with him shooting a basketball for 24 straight hours as he hoped to raise money for his mother as she battled cancer. Then, the ‘Challenge’ took on a whole new level as years progressed, with high school athletes all looking to participate.

Now, ‘A Shot For Life’ encompasses seven sports, hosting tournaments to fundraise across New England. In total, $50,000 was raised by this year’s showcase, which will be funding Tandem CAR-T Cell therapy at MGH Cancer Center.

“I’ve grown up running this event,” Slonina said. “It’s a really special one for me. No matter how big we get, the Massachusetts ‘A Shot For Life’ Challenge will always be really special, because I did it as a kid. I was in my mid-20s, now I’m in my 30s. It’s been kind of a through-line for my adult life.”

Elyse MacDonough of Worcester Academy won the girls division at the Shot For Life challenge Saturday. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)