Mount Pulaski sweeps Argenta-Oreana
Skylar Hayes becomes MPHS basketball All-Time Leading Scorer in history

[January 24, 2019] 

When the Lady Toppers tipped off at 7:20 p.m. Tuesday night at the Ed Butkovich Gymnasium, Skylar Hayes was at center court jumping for Mount Pulaski and got the tip.

But it was a Lady Bomber who chased down the ball. Argenta-Oreana held possession for a mere fifteen seconds but could not score.

Once the ball was back in the hands of Mount Pulaski’s point guard Savanah Moore, she spotted Hayes darting through the lane on offense and threw a quick pass into the senior. Hayes was fouled trying to throw up an underhanded layup and this would send her to the free throw line. With 7:30 showing on the game clock, Hayes swished in the first free throw for a record-breaking-point, number 2,213.

Teammates Morgan May and Abigail Fitzpatrick quickly approached Hayes at the free throw line to offer congratulations as the crowd on hand for this historic feat gave Hayes a standing ovation. Mount Pulaski Head Coach Eric Leever called a timeout and one of the referees ran over towards the scorer’s table to hand the ball to none other than Jeff Clements.

Clements, who set the previous record of 2,212 career points in March of 1978 at the super-sectional, had emerged from his seat in the bleachers and was ready to grab that game ball.

What happened next was a moment that will give basketball fans goosebumps.

The record and the ball have changed hands - Clements to Hayes with a hug.

First as Hayes trotted over towards the bench, Clements immediately met her and gave her a hug. The two then walked together towards center court, with Clements clutching the ball. Clements, wearing his “100 Legends of IHSA Boys Basketball” sport coat, then presented Hayes with the game ball she had just shot at the free throw line to break his record. The crowd cheered and both superstars broke out in smiles.

Jeff Clements and Skylar Hayes are all smiles at center court as Clements, the previous all-time leading scorer, holds the ball and gets ready to turn it over to the new all-time leading scorer, Hayes.

Now what happened next was quite unexpected from Hayes. She looked at Clements and started to cry. Hayes is used to wearing her game-face on the court and never wavering, but in this moment she couldn’t help but get emotional. She had broken a record that stood for nearly 41 years by a man who is truly a Hilltopper legend. Clements helped Mount Pulaski earn their only basketball state championship in 1976 and he was part of the 1977 state team that finished in fourth place.

After the recognition and a perfectly-written speech about Hayes and Clements by Lady Topper announcer Greg Taylor, Hayes trotted off again towards the bench and this time met her father Steven, an assistant coach on the Lady Toppers staff, and immediately gave him a hug. She gave him the history-making ball and then it was time to wipe those tears and get back to business.

Hayes returned to the free throw line to shoot the second shot and after a deep breath, she made that one, too. The nerves were calmed and it was time for the Lady Toppers to take care of business.

Mount Pulaski ran out to a 19-2 lead with just 1:47 left to play in the first quarter. As Isabella Wade banked in a long three at the 1:10 mark, it was Mount Pulaski on top 22-3 and that score would remain as the first quarter expired.

It looked like all the girls had an adrenaline rush following Hayes’ feat and were unstoppable.
 

By halftime the Lady Toppers were crushing the Lady Bombers 36-11. A running clock was used to start the fourth quarter with Mount Pulaski up 50-15. With the starters getting a lot of rest in the fourth quarter the game ended quickly with the score 50-20.

Hayes led Mount Pulaski with 15 points. Savanah Moore tossed in 13 points. Isabella Wade and Morgan May each contributed 10 points.

After Hayes broke Clements’ record, he continued to sit in the stands and watch the game. When approached for some comments, the usually quiet and reserved guy was eager to chat.

After the tears had long gone and only the smiles remain. Hayes and Clements are forever in the history books of MPHS Basketball.

“It’s kinda neat in many ways,” began Clements with a smile. "Our families, going back to my mom and Shirley Hayes, were best friends. It’s kinda neat that Steven and Barb and our family, my brother and sister, we all ran around together. I’ve known Steven since he was born. It’s almost like it’s still in the family. It’s kinda neat from that aspect. That part really made it cool I think.”

Clements’ mom, Eleanor, was sitting in the stands with Jeff and his wife, Susan, and Eleanor agreed that she and Shirley were best friends. Shirley is Skylar’s grandmother who passed away in 2013.

Did Clements ever think his record would be broken?

“You know it’s something I never even really ever thought about,” he said. “When Skylar came in her freshmen year and put some points on the board, you knew there was a good possibility if she stayed healthy. She’s just a consummate athlete and she doesn’t shoot the ball a lot. She takes what’s given in the offense and she goes with the flow. She scores when she has to and just does a great job.”

“The whole team is playing really well right now,” added Clements, who wasn’t even supposed to be at the game on this night. Clements, an assistant for the Hilltoppers Boys Basketball Team, was scheduled to be in Greenview at a game. Greenview cancelled the game due to the weather, so it was Mother Nature that brought him to the gym in Mount Pulaski.

As for Hayes’ emotions, Clements said, “She started crying. I felt bad. But she immediately stepped out and hit the next free throw. She recovered in a hurry.”

As for that record from 1978, Clements smiled and said, “They’re made to be broken.”

After the win, Hayes greeted some family and friends for hugs and photos and walked around the gym like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

After taking a picture with Clements over by the Hilltoppers 1976 State Championship banner, she relaxed and took in the evening.

“It’s pretty cool,” she began with a grin. “I hate talking about myself, but this was really cool, especially with Jeff here. That really made my night. It really did. It’s a great feeling. It really is. All this hard work paid off.”

As for the emotions kicking in, she explained, “I didn’t know Jeff was going to be handing me the ball and I just started crying. It could not have been more perfect.”

It was perfect ~ from one local legend to another in the making.

With still a handful of regular season games left it is anybody’s guess how many points Hayes will end up with. At this point the number is 2,227 and counting.

Mount Pulaski will play at Tri-City tonight (Thursday) with the JV game scheduled for 6:15 p.m. and the Varsity set to follow.

Varsity scoring

Mount Pulaski 50

Hayes 15
Moore 13
Wade 10
M. May 10
Fitzpatrick 2

Argenta-Oreana 20

Williams 10
Camilyn Newbanks 3
Cassi Newbanks 2
Patton 2
Meador 2
Gantz 1

JV scoring

Mount Pulaski 42

Wilham 11
C. Turner 9
X. Turner 7
Eskew 4
Kirk 3
Olson 2
Davis 2
Lowe 2
R. May 2

Argenta-Oreana 15

Meador 7
Patton 6
Gantz 2

[Teena Lowery]