Hilltoppers take down Riverton
60-57
[December 06, 2025]
The Friday night basketball action inside the Ed Butkovich
Gymnasium in Mount Pulaski did not disappoint. The Hilltoppers
hosted the Riverton Hawks from just down the road and the two teams
battled til the end, with Mount Pulaski coming out on top 60-57.
The two teams were tied seven times. Mount Pulaski was down at the
half and at the end of the third quarter, but the boys never gave
up. Aaron Volle’s basket in the lane with 1:27 left in the game gave
Mount Pulaski a two-point lead and they never surrendered. It was a
victory the Hilltoppers needed to get back in the win column. The
Hilltoppers only two losses of the season have been by one point and
two points. Mount Pulaski now has a 3-2 record.
First quarter
Julian Rice of Riverton sank his first three of the game fifteen
seconds into the first quarter and he would eventually pour in 18
points in the first half. He was hot from three-point range.
Riverton ran out to a quick 5-0 lead before Keoni Charron hit a
corner three to get the Mount Pulaski offense going. Riverton was
running and gunning and put Mount Pulaski in a 3-8 deficit quickly.
Eric Cooper’s first basket of the game was off the offensive rebound
and that started a little 6-0 run that was valuable. Franklin Wade
dropped in a bucket and Cooper had another putback that gave Mount
Pulaski a 9-8 lead for a brief second. The lead would flip in
Riverton’s favor with another three by Rice but with Volle on the
run for the layup, the game was tied 13-13. It’s going to sound
repetitive, but Rice with another three gave Riverton an 18-13 lead.
There was a basket in there by Jaxsen Trager too, and Riverton was
full of shooters. Wade’s nice floater kept the pace of the game
moving fast and the Hilltoppers were chipping away at the lead. Once
down 15-20 with a minute and thirty seconds to play, the Hilltoppers
climbed back in it on two free throws by Austin Kretzinger, a
fantastic spin move in the lane by Cooper and sweet baseline drive
by Wade. He was hammered by the Hawks’ defender and sank the ‘and
one’ that tied the game 22-22 when the quarter ended. It cannot be
overlooked that Rice scored four 3s and a two-pointer in this first
quarter.
Second quarter
These guys just ran up and down the court, exchanging baskets for
the first four minutes of the second quarter. The Riverton fast
break was causing some damage early. The Hawks were just a step
ahead of Mount Pulaski. The Hawks stretched the lead to 35-30 on yet
another fast break with 1:36 left to go. It was a good thing Braden
Olson hit a three thirty seconds later. That was a huge boost.
Cooper then stepped up to the free throw line to tie the game at
1:00 mark. But with Kashton Bliven hitting his second three-pointer
of the quarter, the Hawks were back on top with 12.6 seconds left.
Just when it looked like that would be enough damage, the Hawks got
the ball back and Rice scored in the paint, the ball falling through
the hoop as the halftime buzzer sounded. Riverton ran to the locker
room, happy with a 40-35 lead.
Third quarter
Mount Pulaski did not put their best quarter together here but a
bright spot in the lineup was Reed Martin. The 6’3 sophomore got a
bucket and a sweet assist and just his overall presence in the lane
was valuable. With 3:02 left in the quarter, Cooper did tie the game
at the free throw line, 45-45 the score. That was followed by a 5-0
run by the Hawks. The quarter ended with the score in Riverton’s
favor, 52-46.
Fourth quarter
There has to be enough gas left in the tank for eight more minutes.
Volle’s free throws to start the quarter closed the gap but then it
was you know who with a three for Riverton. Luckily for the
Hilltoppers, this would be the end of the scoring for Rice, who
finished with 28 points. Martin’s bucket and Kretzinger’s two free
throws cut the deficit to three points and there was still plenty of
time left. With 4:05 showing on the clock, Cooper’s drive in the
lane resulted in the game-tying bucket and the two teams were in a
knot, 55-55.
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It would be a grueling two and a half minutes before anybody scored
and much to the delight of Mount Pulaski fans, it was Aaron Volle.
After the Hilltoppers ran some time off the clock, Volle scooped up
the pass from Wade, drove the lane and tossed the ball up for two
points. He was surrounded by Hawks but still managed to get a shot
up and that was good for a 57-55 lead. The next minute and a half of
the game was nerve-wracking but Wade managed to sink a free throw to
give Mount Pulaski a slight cushion, with the lead stretched to
three points. And Martin pulled down a huge rebound off a Wade miss.
Jumping ahead Wade was able to make one more free throw for a 59-55
lead with 29.5 seconds left.
After a Riverton player was called for carrying the ball in their
next possession, Mount Pulaski was looking to be in a good position.
However, the Hawks stole the ball and scored in less than seven
seconds. Now it’s down to a two-point lead. With Wade trying to
bring the ball up the court, he was trapped without barely moving a
step and fouled from one side to the next. This resulted in one more
free throw and Mount Pulaski’s lead was again three points with 9.6
seconds left this time. Riverton’s last attempt was no good and
there were a lot of happy Hilltoppers on Donna Dulle Court as the
final score flashed 60-57.
It was an outstanding win by the Hilltoppers, who were led in
scoring by Eric Cooper with 21 points.
Franklin Wade finished with 17 points for Mount Pulaski.
Riverton did defeat the Mount Pulaski JV team earlier in the evening
56-40. Reed Martin led the JV team with 23 points.
Mount Pulaski will play at LeRoy today at 1:00 p.m.
Varsity scoring
Mount Pulaski 60
Cooper 21
Wade 17
Volle 8
Kretzinger 4
Martin 4
Olson 3
Charron 3
Riverton 57
Rice 28
Johnson 9
Bliven 6
Giberson 6
Trager 4
Hartlaub 2
Rivelli 2
JV scoring
Mount Pulaski 40
Martin 23
Deibert 6
Olson 5
Siebert 4
Matson 2
Riverton 56
Baker 12
Ladew 10
Easton 7
Bates 9
Rivelli 6
Jackson 6
Harper-Robinson 4
Rice 2
[Teena Lowery]
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