High School Girls Basketball
2023 Lady Hawk Christmas Classic Basketball Tournament
Mt. Pulaski defeats Hillsboro 48-33
Lady Toppers will play for the tournament championship at 6:00 p.m. tonight

 

[December 28, 2023] 

The Lady Toppers defeated the Hillsboro Hilltoppers 48-33 on Wednesday night at the 2023 Lady Hawk Christmas Classic in Riverton.

The Lady Toppers found themselves down 8-6 in the first quarter, despite buckets by Elayna Marten, Kamrie Charron and Kenzie Chandler. Aly Murphy hit a three at the 3:20 mark to boost Mount Pulaski to their first lead, 9-8 the score. Addison Brown’s bucket at the 2:30 mark put Mount Pulaski up 11-8. The score after the first quarter would see the Lady Toppers hanging on to an 11-9 lead.

After Hillsboro tied the game 11-11 early in the second quarter, Charron’s two points in the paint put the Lady Toppers back on top at the 7:02 mark. Chandler’s two points stretched the lead to 15-11. Hillsboro’s three kept the game close but after Brown’s free throws just under the six minute mark, Mount Pulaski began to pull away with a bigger lead. Brown sank a three just under the five minute mark to extend the lead to 20-14. Ella Bobell added a three at the 3:50 mark and the Lady Toppers were enjoying a 23-16 advantage. Audrey Cooper’s steal and layup extended the lead to 25-16. Murphy hit another three and then added two more points in a span of twenty seconds as the clock was reaching the 1:30 mark. Hillsboro tossed in one more basket in the quarter, but it was Mount Pulaski with the 30-20 lead at the half.

Chandler turned up the heat in the third quarter and she made good use of the backboard while pouring in eight points for Mount Pulaski. With Murphy and Marten each adding to the offense, the Lady Toppers were able to extend the lead to 42-26 as the third quarter ended.

Mount Pulaski controlled the tempo of the game in the fourth quarter and with Chandler tossing in five more points, the Lady Toppers pushed their way into the tournament championship with a 48-33 win.

Kenzie Chandler led Mount Pulaski with 17 points.

Aly Murphy chipped in 10 points.

The Lady Toppers are now 13-5 overall on the season.

Mount Pulaski is now 4-0 in the Lady Hawks Christmas Classic Tournament.

Mount Pulaski will play Deer Creek-Mackinaw tonight at 6:00 p.m. for the tournament championship.

In earlier tournament action:

Mt. Pulaski 49
Pawnee 43

Mt. Pulaski 56
Pana 39

Mt. Pulaski 52
Litchfield 26

Mt. Pulaski 48

Chandler 17
Murphy 10
Brown 7
Marten 5
Charron 4
E. Bobell 3
Cooper 2

Hillsboro 33

Greenwood 9
Christian 9
E. Greenwood 7
Davis 6
Langston 2

[Teena Lowery]