Mount Pulaski gets past Springfield
Lutheran 46-42
[January 03, 2026]
The Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers overcame a five-point deficit
in the last ninety seconds of the game Friday night versus the
Springfield Lutheran Crusaders and came out on top 46-42. The
Hilltoppers scored the last nine points of the game unanswered.
Aaron Volle led Mount Pulaski with 12 points.
Volle made back-to-back 3s in the first quarter to give Mount
Pulaski a 10-5 lead. In the final minute and fifteen seconds of the
first quarter Franklin Wade, Austin Kretzinger and Preston Cowan
each scored, extending the lead to 17-5. Wade and Cowan each scored
in the paint while Kretzinger hit a three.
Mount Pulaski went up 25-18 at the half with Kretzinger, Cowan and
Braden Olson taking care of the scoring.
The Crusaders started the second half like a different team. They
scored the first thirteen points over the Hilltoppers and Mount
Pulaski’s shooting was not just cold, it was ice cold. When Volle
finally scored on a corner three the clock was already nearing the
thirty-second mark. Springfield Lutheran knocked down one more shot
before the third quarter ended and it was the Crusaders with the
lead, 33-28.
Mount Pulaski scrambled to score in the fourth quarter. After Deegan
Tschantz was wide open in the lane, he scored, but Mount Pulaski was
still down 35-30. The Crusaders appeared to crack the game open with
a 39-30 lead and 3:25 left to play but the Hilltoppers never lost
their fight.
After Reed Martin made a free throw and Kretzinger dumped in two
points, the lead was dwindling. Mount Pulaski’s Martin and Wade each
came up huge with steals in less than twenty seconds and they were
each able to convert those into baskets. With 1:42 left to play the
score was now 39-37.
The Crusaders went up 42-37 at the free throw line but the
Hilltoppers kept their cool. Volle hit a three at the 1:13 mark and
the deficit was two points again.
With the Crusaders controlling possession with just under forty-five
seconds left, they turned it over, and it was Martin who grabbed it
and ran for the basket. His bucket in the lane tied the game. Then
the Crusaders panicked and quickly turned the ball over again. Mount
Pulaski called a timeout with 24.4 seconds remaining and a new game
plan was drawn up. It would be Wade on the drive to the basket with
17.2 seconds on the clock. He threw up a prayer while he was dodging
heavy traffic and it was good! Mount Pulaski had fought back to a
44-42 lead. Wade was also fouled and he made the ‘and one’ to make
it a 45-42 ballgame.
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Next it was the Crusaders turn to scramble for a
shot and they turned the ball over again with 6.1 seconds left. They
fouled Wade four seconds later and he sank the second free throw,
giving Mount Pulaski a 46-42 lead. One final attempt by the
Crusaders was way short and the comeback by the Hilltoppers was
complete.
Mount Pulaski won the JV game by a wider margin over Springfield
Lutheran. Their final score was 57-26.
Reed Martin led the JV team with 25 points. Landon Diebert tossed in
17 points in the win.
Mount Pulaski will play at Lincolnwood Tuesday night. The JV will
start at 6:00 p.m. and the Varsity will start at approximately 7:15
p.m.
Varsity scoring
Mount Pulaski 46
Volle 12
Wade 9
Kretzinger 9
Martin 5
Cowan 5
Olson 2
Charron 2
Tschantz 2
Springfield Lutheran 42
Meredith 16
Hilligos 13
Seifert 4
Daniel 4
L. Stevens 3
P. Stevens 2
JV scoring
Mount Pulaski 57
Martin 25
Deibert 17
Siebert 6
Hebenstreit 5
Olson 2
Woodford 2
Springfield Lutheran 26
Reed 11
Damm 5
Boyer 4
Barrett 4
Wanless 2
[Teena Lowery]
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