[January 22, 2013]    

The Mount Pulaski Lady Toppers basketball team earned their 20th win on the season Monday night with a 52-47 victory over Auburn.

Mount Pulaski led 9-6 after the first quarter, but a strong second quarter for the Lady Trojans ended the half with the score tied at 22.

Erika Leever carried the Lady Toppers in that first half with 12 points. Balanced scoring from four of the Lady Topper starters in the third quarter gave Mount Pulaski the advantage and a 37-33 lead.

Auburn was not going way easily, though. The scoring would go back and forth in the fourth quarter until Mount Pulaski finally pulled away 50-45 with less than a minute to play. With 12 seconds to play, the Lady Trojans scored one more bucket, but not to be outdone, Mount Pulaski's Whitney Nichols banked in a shot at the buzzer and sealed the Lady Topper victory 52-47.

Mount Pulaski was led in scoring by senior Erika Leever with 20 points. Fellow seniors Jessica Awe and Andrea Dickerson each scored 13 points. Sophomore Whitney Nichols rounded out the scoring by chipping in six points. Mount Pulaski (20-3) is ranked sixth in the state in the most recent Class 1A poll. The Lady Toppers will travel to Illini Bluffs for a game Wednesday night at 6.

The Lady Toppers will also be in action at home for a rare Friday night game at 5. That game will be followed by the boys' junior varsity and varsity basketball teams taking on Riverton.

Pictures by Teena Lowery

Andrea Dickerson knocks one down and drops two in for the Lady Toppers in first-quarter action.

Up, up and away... Erika Leever makes it look easy with a bucket over Auburn.

 

A little bit of an acrobatic move for Jessica Awe draws the foul.

Leever can do this all night long.

 

She's only 5-foot-3, but she can make a path and make it wide. Senior Jessica Awe shoots in the middle of four Auburn girls who watch in amazement.

Senior Erika Leever continues her hot scoring in second-half action of the Lady Topper victory.