Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers get past Illini Central Cougars 66-50
Peyton Taylor comes up big for Mount Pulaski in the win!

[February 10, 2018] 

Mount Pulaski got 21 points and 21 rebounds from senior Peyton Taylor on Friday night at the Cougar Den as the Hilltoppers took out the Cougars by a score of 66-50.

Gezus Oliver notched double figures with 18 points for Mount Pulaski. The Hilltoppers also got 12 points from Drew Martin as they improved to 19-6 on the season.

Off the court, the Cougars were collecting stuffed animals for former head basketball coach John Giesler. The beloved coach, who guided the Cougars to a third place state finish during the 2011-12 season and then a Class 1A IHSA State Championship in the 2012-13 season, is battling pancreatic cancer. Giesler is focused on making a difference in the lives of others these days and this latest effort will benefit the OSF Children’s Hospital.

Earlier in the season, the community rallied around the coach to start a scholarship fund in his honor. The scholarship will benefit a senior who has been active in the boys basketball program at Illini Central, per the coach’s request. The scholarship will assist the student-athlete who wishes to attend either a trade school or a two-year or four-year college or university upon graduation.

Giesler will also be inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame this spring.

Varsity scores by quarter:

Mount Pulaski 18 33 50 66
Illini Central 13 27 43 50

Mount Pulaski (66)

Taylor 21
Oliver 18
Martin 12
Huff 7
Hayes 5
Murphy 3

Illini Central (50)

Johnson 13
Damm 12
Dowell 11
May 7
Marshall 6
Rivera 1

Peyton Taylor with the dunk and mom Marla with the excellent camera skills to capture the moment!

More action from the Cougar Den courtesy of Marla Taylor.

The Mount Pulaski JV team fell to the Cougars 53-45 despite Dustin Murphy pouring in a season-high 27 points. Murphy is having quite the offensive week. He poured in 25 points Tuesday night when the JV team took down New Berlin.

Illini Central poured in 10 threes as a team. The Cougars have a reputation for shooting the long ball and achieving success at it.

JV scores by quarter:

Mount Pulaski 4 18 28 45
Illini Central 15 28 41 53

Illini Central (53)

Marshall 21
Entwistle 16
Thomas 6
Leihmge 5
Boehm 5

Mount Pulaski (45)

Murphy 27
Lawson 9
G. Davis 6
J. Davis 3

[Teena Lowery]