Midwest Central defeats Mount Pulaski 70-55

 

[January 16, 2023]  The Hilltoppers hosted Midwest Central on Friday night and it was the Raiders staging a comeback in the second half and defeating Mount Pulaski 70-55.

Mount Pulaski held an 11-3 lead early before the Raiders came back to make it a 13-12 ballgame. Clay Aylesworth’s bucket with just seconds left in the first quarter set the score at 15-12.

Aylesworth started the second quarter with a corner three to extend the lead. Then it was Aylesworth on the fast break to give Mount Pulaski a 20-12 lead. With 5:33 on the clock, Franklin Wade hit a shot to give Mount Pulaski a 22-12 lead. A minute later it was Aylesworth again hitting a basket and the Hilltoppers were looking really good with a 24-14 lead. The Raiders used an 8-0 run to climb back into the game and make the score 24-22. Baskets by Evan Cooper and Jackson Fricke allowed Mount Pulaski to stay on top 28-24 when the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Raiders had a tremendous third quarter against Mount Pulaski and took over the lead in a matter of three minutes. Just as the five minute mark approached, the Raiders found themselves on top 32-30. Gavin Smith would tie the game at 34-34 and then the Raiders came back in an even bigger way. A 13-0 run really buried the Hilltoppers. A three by Smith and two points from Evan Cooper would finish the scoring for Mount Pulaski in the third quarter. Midwest Central took a 50-39 lead into the final quarter.

The Raiders continued to pour on the points in the fourth quarter and completed the victory by a final score of 70-55.

Evan Cooper led the Hilltoppers with 18 points. Clay Aylesworth chipped in 13 points for Mount Pulaski.

Mount Pulaski falls to 5-14 on the season.

In the JV game the Hilltoppers won 51-31 over Midwest Central. Franklin Wade led Mount Pulaski with 14 points.

The JV team improved to 8-2 on the season.

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

Varsity scoring

Mount Pulaski 55
Evan Cooper 18
Aylesworth 13
Fricke 8
Smith 7
Bailey 4
Eric Cooper 3
Wade 2

Midwest Central 70
Bolen 15
Woodley 15
Justus 15
Canada 15
Parkin 4
Kammeyer 3
Davis 3

JV scoring

Mount Pulaski 51
Wade 14
Tschantz 8
Cooper 6
Fitzpatrick 5
Kretzinger 5
Selinger 5
Deibert 4
Gibbs 2
McCormick 2

Midwest Central 31
Schnoor 11
Schmidt 7
Simon 5
Nowack 3
Calhoun 2
McClean 2
Byrd 1

[Teena Lowery]