Mount Pulaski defeats Springfield Lutheran 77-56
- Hilltoppers honor seniors in Pep Band, Basketball and Cheerleading

[February 08, 2022] What a great night to be a Hilltopper! The Ed Butkovich Gymnasium was packed with friends and family Saturday night, all there to support and cheer on an amazing group of 2022 MPHS seniors. 

Following the Hilltoppers 77-56 win over Springfield Lutheran, the scene on the court was one that could really bring a tear to your eye. As the players and cheerleaders gathered with family and friends to take pictures on the court, the smiles and hugs were endless. 

There was the young man who reached a goal this year of scoring 1,000 career points. That same young man “had a basketball in his hands since he could walk” according to his mom and he dropped 28 points on Saturday night to lead his team. 

There was the young man who plays the game with such passion and energy, sharing a love for the game with his mom. That same young man lost his mom suddenly in 2018 and he has made some heartfelt Facebook posts dedicated to her this basketball season. She was a proud sports mom who didn’t get the chance to sit in the high school bleachers and see her son wear the Hilltoppers uniform. But she raised one heckuva good kid that the community adores and he’s going to move mountains with his perseverance and positivity while he navigates this world. 

MPHS Pep Band Senior Joseph Roemer

There was the young man who doesn’t always see a lot of playing time, but when he walked out to center court with his mom and dad, part of his senior bio included, “I want to follow in my dad’s footsteps.” There cannot be a higher compliment for a father. That same senior made the last shot in the game Saturday night for Mount Pulaski, a three from the corner by the student section and the fans erupted in applause. 

There are the two 6’3 soft-spoken seniors who quietly dominate in the paint with their size and show off some surprise moves on occasion that just add to the Hilltoppers diverse lineup. These two possess a strong character that includes kindness and service to others. These two will go far in life, while never bragging about their accomplishments. 

There was a young man who everyone loves and as he sits on the end of the bench, awaiting his turn to maybe or maybe not get in the game in the final moments, he is always ready when called upon. He hops off the bench with a smile and as he jogs to the scorer’s table, the fans immediately start to chant his name. That same young man is a diehard Kansas City football fan and he attended that Chiefs 42-36 overtime win versus Buffalo on January 23, 2022 and he had great seats! 

And finally, there was the young man who pulled double duty as the manager and camera operator for the Hilltoppers. He put on a Hilltopper uniform Saturday night and was introduced to the crowd along with the starters. That was a flash of a highlight for this young man, until the game was almost over. That young man entered the game wearing jersey no. 24 and with about 30 seconds left, he got his hand on the ball in the paint and he threw up a shot. Yep, he scored his first Varsity points on Senior Night and as he ran by the student section that was in an absolute frenzy by the way, his arm was pumping in the air and it didn’t look like his feet were touching the ground. That’s the “One Shining Moment” every athlete dreams of right there. 

Well done, Hilltoppers, well done! 

Now let’s get to the game. 

The Springfield Lutheran Crusaders struck first and even took a 4-0 lead over the Hilltoppers to start the game. Cullen Tyson tossed in Mount Pulaski’s first points to cut the lead in half. Lane Murphy would bump the Hilltoppers in front with his free throws and then it was  Aidan Schneider for the three and the 8-6 Hilltoppers lead. The two teams would trade leads for much of the quarter, with Gavin Smith hitting a three to give Mount Pulaski 15-14 lead with 1:02 left to play. The Crusaders would score the final bucket of the first quarter and take a 16-15 lead over the Hilltoppers.

Eric Cooper put the Hilltoppers back on top 17-16 early in second quarter action. Midway through the quarter, the Hilltoppers trailed 22-21 but that was about to change in a big way. Mount Pulaski kicked their offense and defense into full gear. With Cooper and Murphy scoring, the Hilltoppers had reclaimed the lead. After another three from Smith, the Hilltoppers were in the midst of taking over the game. Smith’s three made the score 29-23 with 2:30 left in the half. A steal by Tyson ignited the crowd and with Murphy turning the afterburners on and catching the pass from Tyson, a nice little kiss off the glass set the score at 31-23. Clay Aylesworth and Murphy would also have steals in the quarter. Aylesworth even drove baseline and his bucket increased the lead to 33-23. Murphy’s steal meanwhile allowed him the momentum to go coast-to-coast and he stretched the lead to 35-23. One last free throw by Murphy as the quarter was winding down set the halftime score at 36-23 and the Hilltoppers had just completed a 15-1 run on the Crusaders.

Aylesworth tossed in the first basket for Mount Pulaski in the third quarter and it’s unclear exactly what happened after that, but the result was a technical foul on the Crusaders coach and his immediate exit from the building. With 7:12 on the clock, Cooper shot and made four free throws and Mount Pulaski’s lead was continuing to climb, as the Hilltoppers retained possession of the ball. Ten seconds later Murphy launched a three for a 45-23 lead. Mount Pulaski’s 24-1 run was about to come to an end, but it was evident this may have played a part in the opposing coach’s frustration and eventual toss from the game. A three by Ryan Reavis at the 6:42 mark in the third quarter would be the Crusaders first points since a free throw by Geno Daniels at the 3:11 mark in the second quarter. A basket by Cooper allowed Mount Pulaski a 47-26 lead but with the Crusaders catching a spark, they went on an 11-0 run in a great attempt to catch the Hilltoppers. Back-to-back threes by Grant Thomas had helped the Crusaders cause. When Mount Pulaski did finally score again, it was Lucas Kuhlman with the bucket and the Hilltoppers with the 49-37 lead. Aylesworth took matters into his own hands and went all the way to the bucket to score on a layup with 13.1 seconds left and the third quarter ended with Mount Pulaski up 51-39.

Jackson Fricke’s basket stretched the lead to 53-39 to start the fourth quarter. The Hilltoppers ran the lead up to 20 points again, as Murphy and Smith exchanged baskets and assists with one another. Cooper’s soft jumper landed through the net, too, and aided the Hilltoppers cause. As the 3:00 mark was nearing, Murphy hit a three and the lead was 67-47. A mere 15 seconds later Tyson showed off his surprise moves in the lane and after the basket fell through the net, the entire Hilltopper crowd cheered.

MPHS Senior Basketball players: Drew Emrick, Devin Brady, Cullen Tyson, Will Keyes, Aidan Schneider, Lane Murphy and Lucas Kuhlman

Murphy gave the crowd another reason to cheer with his basket on the fast break and not long afterwards both he and Schneider would exit the court to much applause. As the subs had taken over the court, the fans were hanging on to see what would happen next. Winding down the scoring in the game was a free throw by Will Keyes and then, of course, two of the loudest moments of the night. With players crowded in the lane, no. 24 Drew Emrick, who is normally the Hilltoppers manager and camera guy, recovered the ball and his natural instinct was to take it to the basket. The senior tossed the ball up and in and the gym went nuts as the ball touched nothing but the net. Emrick’s basket made the score 74-54.

The Crusaders scored at their end one more time and with the crowd still on their feet, Ethan Payne inbounded the ball to Nolan Deibert and then it was Deibert back to Payne. Payne tossed it to Devin Brady and even though players yelled at Brady to shoot it, he passed it to Keyes, who was set up in the corner by the student section. Keyes concentrated for a split-second and then put up a shot from beyond the arc that ricocheted off every speck of orange on the rim before finally falling through the net. Announcer Gale Clark said, “Will Keyes for three!” The crowd roared and even the Hilltoppers bench was on their feet, smiling and clapping, while awaiting the game buzzer a few seconds later. Keyes’ final shot set the score on Senior Night at 77-56 and the Hilltoppers celebrated a victory. 

Lane Murphy led all scorers with 28 points. Evan Cooper contributed 12 points and Gavin Smith tossed in 11 points for the Hilltoppers. 

Mount Pulaski improved to 15-8 on the season. 

As the Varsity players exited the court, the first one to meet and greet Keyes with a hug was Gavin Smith. Meanwhile, Lane Murphy, the latest member of the Hilltoppers 1,000 point club, rushed out to meet Drew Emrick with a hand slap. The rest of the Hilltoppers crew couldn’t wait to congratulate Emrick either. Based on the reaction of his teammates, you would’ve thought he scored 52 points in a postseason win! 

MPHS Senior Cheerleaders: Delaney Howard, Elana Bruns, Laney Cyrulik, Chloe Lewis and Ella Woodworth

With the cheerleaders rushing over to cheer, “We are proud of you, say, we are proud of you!” and the pep band playing, the athletes shook hands and the gym definitely had a postseason win feel to it. 

The Cheerleaders had also entertained the crowd at halftime by doing a dance routine, with the help of dozens of little girls aspiring to be cheerleaders. These little girls had participated in the Cheer Clinic and the highlight was getting to perform at halftime. The song the girls danced to and even some little girls performed cartwheels to: The Golden Girls theme song, a remix version of “Thank You for Being a Friend.” 

Perfect. 

What a great night in the gym for these kids!  

Running it back to the JV game, that was an exciting win for the young Hilltoppers. Mount Pulaski trailed 39-36 going into the fourth quarter, but thanks to a couple threes by Colt Selinger and one three by Lamarion Solomon, the Hilltoppers crawled their way back into the game. Daniel McCormick also tossed in four of his game-leading 13 points in the fourth quarter. Toss in a bucket by Nolan Deibert and then watch Kolin Gibbs pour in seven fourth quarter points, which included a 5-for-6 clutch performance at the free throw line in the remaining minutes, and that equals a 58-54 win. A great comeback win for the JV team over Springfield Lutheran. 

Here is a list of the seniors honored on Saturday night:

Basketball 

Lane Murphy 

Cullen Tyson 

Aidan Schneider

Will Keyes

Lucas Kuhlman

Devin Brady

Drew Emrick

Cheerleading 

Elana Bruns

Laney Cyrulik

Delaney Howard

Chloe Lewis

Ella Woodworth 

Pep Band

Joseph Roemer

Congratulations, Seniors! 

Mount Pulaski will play Tuesday night at New Berlin. The JV game will start at 6 p.m. The Varsity will tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

Varsity scoring

Mount Pulaski 77

Murphy 28

Cooper 12

Smith 11

Schneider 6

Aylesworth 6

Keyes 4

Tyson 4

Kuhlman 2

Fricke 2

Emrick 2

Springfield Lutheran 56

Daniels 17

Reavis 10

Thomas 9

Mullen 6

Kistner 4

Stevens 4

McCaffrey 2

Lopian 2

Perkins 2

JV scoring  

Mount Pulaski 58

McCormick 13

Deibert 11

Solomon 10

Gibbs 9

Selinger 8

Payne 7

Springfield Lutheran 54

Kistner 21

Perkins 15

McCaffrey 9

Ladage 4

Oldham 2

Carlove 2

Lopian 1

[Teena Lowery]