Mount Pulaski advances to regional championship

[February 22, 2018] 

The Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers edged out the LeRoy Panthers Wednesday night by a score of 54-50 to advance to the IHSA Class 1A Regional Championship.

This one was a barnburner as they used to say back in the day. Mount Pulaski won the tip and Peyton Taylor got the Hilltoppers on the board with his bank shot just seconds into the game. The big man would not have a field goal the rest of the first half but his teammate, Gezus Oliver, carried him and the rest of the team in the points department the entire first quarter. Oliver went coast-to-coast for a layup, knocked down back-to-back threes and hit two free throws in the quarter to earn 10 of the 12 Hilltopper points and lead Mount Pulaski to a 12-11 score after one quarter of play.

Mount Pulaski’s lead was extended to 14-11 after Taylor got a couple opportunities at the free throw line. The Hilltoppers were up 16-13 after Taylor fired a pass into the lane to a waiting Dustin Murphy, who showed what can happen when you use the backboard. The sophomore wisely waited for the defenders to finish their hacks before he tossed the two points through the air.

The game was very physical with lots of what looked like foul situations being called jumped balls. Nonetheless the two teams played on unfazed.

Mount Pulaski Head Coach Ryan Deibert did get a little agitated at the situation and after pleading his case earlier with the referee, Deibert was issued a warning with 3:03 showing on the second quarter clock.

In a situation where it looked like Taylor was fouled, the referee instead sent Nate Sammer of LeRoy to the line. Fans were murmuring about this call as well. Sammer connected for both free throws. Seconds later the Panthers were so fired up they stole the inbounds pass and the lead from Mount Pulaski.

Oliver would have none of that. He tossed in a two for the Mount Pulaski lead. But hey, Sammer was ignited at the other end and his three put LeRoy on top 20-18 with 2:02 left to play until halftime.

The game was moving quickly late in this second quarter, with lots of pushing and shoving going on. Someone shoved Oliver and he got a chance at the free throw line with 1:53 on the clock. Meanwhile those murmuring fans kept talking and with the referee having some pretty good hearing he turned around and tossed the fans sitting on the front row of the Mount Pulaski fan section out.

No worries on Oliver’s part. He was focused and sank both shots from the charity stripe to tie the game at 20-20.

It’s worth mentioning the fouls were tied 7-7 at this point, too. Mount Pulaski was getting just as many shoves in as they were receiving.

The score would remain the same at the half, with Oliver missing a shot with 5.0 seconds left and then a LeRoy player tossed up a last-second attempt that rolled in and out of the rim.

Mount Pulaski did lead in the warning department (1) and ejected fans department (2) at the half.

The third quarter was intense. The lead flip-flopped back and forth, over and over again. Not that it was boring....far from it. Nick Perry opened the third quarter with a two for LeRoy. Seth Huff tied it with a two for Mount Pulaski. Then Perry again hit a nice little jumper for LeRoy.

Finally, at the 6:37 mark Taylor found the backboard again for Mount Pulaski and his field goal was good.

Some turnovers, not apple or cherry, ensued after this along with a couple missed shots.

Finally, Huff broke the tie on his drive to the bucket with 4:38 showing on the clock. But Perry felt the need to copy that and he drove the lane on the Hilltoppers. This game is tied again.

Taylor would break that tie with two free throws swishing through the net but LeRoy answered back quickly. Jacob Sexton thrilled Panther fans by going reverse layup through the Hilltoppers in the lane and he tied the score at 28-28.

Taylor fought for the lead back and got it after he tossed in two points on the inbounds pass. Caleb Moore tied it yet again on his bucket for LeRoy.

Oliver would recapture the lead for Mount Pulaski after he was fouled on a three at the 3:14 mark. The senior standout would sink 2-of-3 shots and at this point, LeRoy led 6-1 in the foul department.

Mount Pulaski and LeRoy managed to shut each other out in the scoring column the next minute or so. But with 1:26 on the third clock, Oliver hit a huge three to put Mount Pulaski up 35-31. Kudos to Huff for penetrating the lane perfectly and allowing Oliver to hover by the three-point line. Huff kicked it out to Mount Pulaski’s favorite number 14 and boom! Nice play.

But just wait....there is more.

First Trevor Hayes sank two free throws to extend the lead to 37-31.

The Hilltoppers ready for battle versus LeRoy.

And then what happened?

Well, Perry continued to rock the Hilltoppers world and the 6’0 junior hit another three for LeRoy. The Mount Pulaski lead was trimmed to 37-34 at this point.

But then with less than five seconds to go in the third quarter, Huff got the long inbounds pass about five feet from the top of the key and with little hesitation, he just launched it. It seemed like the ball was in the air forever. It finally went through the net as the buzzer sounded and the crowd erupted.

That. Was. Beautiful.

Who’s rockin’ now?

For starters, Huff’s mom. The woman who was given the name Jo Carol at birth, but who goes affectionately by “Jo Momma” or “Momma Jo” (or she answers to anything really to be honest) well anyway....she jumped off her seat on the bleachers as if her pants were on fire. Indeed it is a barnburner in here. And no one was hotter in the third quarter than her son, Seth. His seven points here guided the Hilltoppers to a 40-34 lead after three quarters of play and more importantly his play had the entire Mount Pulaski crowd fired up.

Mount Pulaski just controlled the fourth quarter with confidence. The Hilltoppers never gave up the lead. With 2:49 left to play Mount Pulaski was up 47-39.

With 1:38 remaining in the game, Oliver’s layup put the Hilltoppers in the driver’s seat 51-43. Some free throws gave LeRoy a chance to edge closer in the remaining minute, but Mount Pulaski was untouchable at this point. The Hilltoppers were rocking and rolling, and often times, literally in this game.

Coach Ryan Deibert explains his winning strategy during a late-game timeout.

Freshman Drew Martin goes to the basket for Mount Pulaski.

The final score was 54-50 and the Hilltoppers earn a shot at a regional title Friday night.

Gezus Oliver led Mount Pulaski with 21 points in the 54-50 win over LeRoy.

Mount Pulaski was led by Gezus Oliver with 21 points. Peyton Taylor tossed in 18 points for the Hilltoppers.

Nick Perry led LeRoy with 22 points. Nate Sammer finished with 10 points for the Panthers.

The Hilltoppers will play Decatur LSA at Decatur LSA’s gymnasium at 7 p.m. for that regional title. This will be the fourth meeting of the season for the two teams. LSA has defeated Mount Pulaski by a five-point margin in each of the three previous meetings.

Mount Pulaski’s record improves to 21-7 on the season. Meanwhile Decatur LSA boasts a 24-4 record. The Lions will be going for a record-setting 25th win Friday night.

The Lions knocked out Cerro Gordo-Bement 79-53 in the earlier game Wednesday night.

Scores by quarter:

Mount Pulaski 12 20 40 54
LeRoy 11 20 34 50

Mount Pulaski (54)

Oliver 21
Taylor 18
Huff 7
Martin 4
Hayes 2
Murphy 2

LeRoy (50)

Perry 22
Sammer 10
Dooley 6
Sexton 4
Moore 5
Mayfield 3

[Teena Lowery]