Hilltoppers start season with a
49-27 win over Illini Central
[November 25, 2025]
The Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers earned their first win of the
2025-26 season Monday night in the 15th Annual Bill Rucks Varsity
Boys Basketball Tournament.
The Hilltoppers defeated Illini Central 49-27, giving their new head
coach, Lyndon Jason, his first career win at Mount Pulaski. Jason is
a 1987 graduate of Mount Pulaski High School. Jason is joined on the
coaching staff by Eric Cowan, Rex Tschantz and Alex Anderson.
First quarter
Mount Pulaski raced to a 15-4 lead in the first quarter. Eric Cooper
made the first points of the season on two free throws at the 6:40
mark. After a layup by Cooper and a baseline jumper by Franklin
Wade, the Hilltoppers were up 6-0. Carter Flairty scored the Cougars
first basket around the 5:00 mark. Wade was quick to respond with a
corner three for the Hilltoppers, sparking a 9-0 run. Cooper and
Keoni Charron earned points at the free throw line while Cooper also
added a bucket on a nice spin move in the lane. The 15-2 score stood
until about thirty seconds left in the quarter, when Flairty scored
again for Illini Central.
Second quarter
Austin Kretzinger opened the second quarter with a three and he
would also assist Cooper on the next Hilltoppers possession. Neither
team was burning the net down in the second quarter, with the
Hilltoppers not scoring from the field again until Wade’s three just
under the 2:00 mark. Ryder Claypool and Dominic Blair each got shots
to fall for Illini Central as the quarter was winding down and this
brought the score to 24-12 at the half.
Third quarter
Aaron Volle’s three started the offense for the Hilltoppers in the
third quarter. After Kretzinger’s layup at the 6:30 mark, the
Hilltoppers would spend the majority of the quarter at the free
throw line. With 1:34 left Cooper was on the fast break and he
dished it off to Preston Cowan, who laid it in for his first Varsity
points of the season. The Hilltoppers were up 36-16 at this point.
Charron hit a three for Mount Pulaski’s last basket of the quarter
and with time expiring the Cougars’ Brode Folkes made his first
three of the season. Folkes’ three is one he will likely never
forget. His buzzer-beater was from about three-fourths the length of
the court and it swished through the basket. Nice shot. But the
Cougars still trailed 39-21.
[to top of second column] |
First year head coach Lyndon Jason guided the Hilltoppers to win no.
1 on the season as the 2025 Bill Rucks Tournament got underway in
Mount Pulaski. Photo by Teena Lowery
Fourth quarter
Cooper and Wade made baskets early in the fourth quarter to keep the
Hilltoppers up by twenty points, 43-23 the score. After Cooper’s
bucket near the 4:00 mark the Hilltoppers were cruising with a
25-point lead. Reed Martin’s lone free throw at the 2:35 mark
finished the scoring for Mount Pulaski and after a three from Landon
McGinnes and a free throw by Will Durbin, the final score was
reached.
Eric Cooper led Mount Pulaski with 16 points and 8 rebounds.
Franklin Wade tossed in 11 points and pulled down 4 rebounds for the
Hilltoppers.
The Toppers next game is Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. versus
Tri-City/Sangamon Valley.
In earlier tournament games, Clinton defeated Tri-City 80-35 and
Litchfield defeated Edinburg 63-48.
The tournament runs through Saturday with tonight’s schedule as
follows:
5:00 p.m. Delavan vs. Edinburg
6:30 p.m. Tri-City vs. Illini Central
8:00 p.m. Litchfield vs. Auburn
Mount Pulaski 49
Cooper 16
Wade 11
Kretzinger 7
Volle 5
Charron 5
Martin 3
Cowan 2
Illini Central 27
Blair 8
Folkes 5
Flairty 4
McGinnes 3
Claypool 2
Scohy 2
Umbach 2
Durbin 1
[Teena Lowery] |
