Barbara Johnson of Gibsonville couldn’t believe her eyes when she scratched her 20X The Cash ticket and saw a $250,000 prize.

“I usually buy the $10 tickets but something told me to buy the $5 ones this time,” she recalled.

Johnson purchased her winning $5 ticket from the Quick N Easy on Burlington Road in Greensboro.

“I got home and scratched it off, which I do as soon as I get home,” said Johnson. “I saw the prize and I just started shouting and thanking God.”

She claimed her prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and took home $176,876 after required federal and state tax withholdings.

“I lost my husband going on three years now so this will help me,” said Johnson. “I just bought a new car and I want to pay it off and I want to pay my house off. It means a whole lot. I’ll help my kids out, too.”

The 20X The Cash game launched in February with 10 top prizes of $250,000. Seven prizes remain to be won.

Ticket sales from scratch-offs make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how $32 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Guilford County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.