Hilltoppers hang on for 52-49 win
over Athens
[December 20, 2025]
It was another exciting win for the Hilltoppers inside the Ed
Butkovich Gymnasium on Friday night. Mount Pulaski and Athens played
each other close all night long and in the end it was the
Hilltoppers escaping with a 52-49 victory.
First quarter
Franklin Wade put Mount Pulaski on the board early with a three.
Athens then used a 6-0 run to capture the lead. Wade tied the game
on another three and then earned an assist that put Mount Pulaski up
8-6 after Aaron Volle’s bucket at the 3:20 mark. Eric Cooper
extended the lead to 10-6 near the three minute mark and when the
quarter came to an end Mount Pulaski was holding a 10-8 advantage.
Second quarter
Austin Kretzinger’s quick four points in the second quarter
stretched the Mount Pulaski lead. Athens would come back to tie the
game 15-15 near the five minute mark. Mount Pulaski was able to
capture a small lead each time Wade, Volle and Braden Olson scored,
but the Warriors took over the lead late in the quarter and going
into the half Athens was in front 26-23.
Third quarter
Cooper and Wade combined for the first nine points of the quarter,
pushing Mount Pulaski to a 32-28 lead. Cooper broke a 33-33 tie with
a basket at the three minute mark. Olson kept the Hilltoppers on top
with his two 3s in the final two minutes of the quarter and Mount
Pulaski was ready to head into the final stretch with a 41-40 lead.
Fourth quarter
Olson couldn’t miss to start the third quarter and his three put
Mount Pulaski up 44-40. Cooper extended the lead to 46-40 and the
Hilltoppers were playing very well together. Athens kept fighting
and with 2:45 remaining the Warriors tied the game 46-46. With 1:45
on the clock, Wade put Mount Pulaski in the lead for good with a
three. Clutch basket from the senior. Wade would also make a free
throw with just over thirty seconds left and this gave the
Hilltoppers a four-point lead. Kretzinger sank a free throw to
extend that lead to 51-46. With 8.7 seconds left the Warriors hit a
three and after a timeout they even had a brief shot at victory.
Mount Pulaski lost the ball on the inbounds and it was quickly
picked up by a Warriors player, who in turn threw it back into the
hands of a Hilltopper. Athens was forced to foul quickly, sending
Kretzinger to the line to make one. Mount Pulaski now had a 52-49
lead with 4.8 seconds left. Athens was able to get a decent shot off
at the buzzer for the tie but the ball bounced off the rim and time
expired.
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Mount Pulaski hangs on for the 52-49 win.
Franklin Wade led the team with 17 points.
Braden Olson and Eric Cooper each scored 11 points.
Athens won the JV game 67-35.
Landon Deibert led the Mount Pulaski JV team with 18 points.
Mount Pulaski’s next game will be at LeRoy on Tuesday. The JV game
will start at 1:00 p.m. The Varsity game will follow. This is a
makeup game.
Varsity scoring
Mount Pulaski 52
Wade 17
Olson 11
Cooper 11
Volle 6
Kretzinger 6
Martin 1
Athens 49
Hill 20
Schilling 8
Ishmael 7
Hesson 5
Jones 5
Schrock 2
Braun 2
JV scoring
Mount Pulaski 35
Deibert 18
Martin 9
Charron 3
Woodford 2
Olson 2
Hebenstreit 1
Athens 67
Tapscott 18
W. Gleason 17
Hams 6
Schrock 8
Yambo 6
Bosie 4
Rexroad 4
Halsey 2
[Teena Lowery]
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