Olivia Jones scoring frenzy powers the Southern Columbia Lady Tigers basketball team past Selinsgrove, 37-24
Olivia Jones scoring frenzy powers the Southern Columbia Lady Tigers basketball team past Selinsgrove, 37-24
By: Benjamin Snyder | SportzWire | December 5, 2025 | Photo courtesy Steve Varias
The Angela Wolfe Memorial basketball tournament gave everyone something to be excited about last evening (DEC 4TH 2025), and the Lady Tigers basketball team found a way to prevail over the Seals, 37-24.
Q1 -
The first quarter started with lots of misses from both sides. After a minute and a half passed, the first foul of the game was committed by Southern’s Sierra Martino. The foul put Maddy Benner on free throw line, but she was unable to convert her attempts into points. Shortly after, Karsen Dodge and Grace Morrone both committed reach in fouls, however, the Lady Tigers were not able to capitalize on either foul. Macie Swank gave her first foul of the game with 6:05 remaining in the first quarter which put Grace Morrone on the line. Morrone knocked down both shots at the line to give the Seals a 2-0 lead.
Within the next 35 seconds (6:05-5:30), Lake Dent grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up for two, followed by a Madi Merrell bucket which was assisted by Grace Morrone (6-0 Seals lead). During the next three minutes, Lake Dent and Grace Morrone both stole Southern Columbia passes, but they were unable to turn their forced turnovers into points. Sabrina Presgraves and Bella Parise both saw time off the bench for the Seals during the first, and they moved the ball around the court frequently. With just a couple of seconds left in the first, Grace Morrone received a pass from a teammate and shot a corner three, it went in the basket, however, officials ruled the make no good because the ball hit an out-of-bounds part of the hoop that may have helped the shot fall. Waves of confusion shot through the stands, but the Seals still retained a 6-0 lead at the quarter’s end.
Q2 –
The second quarter of play was nothing like the first, Southern Columbia got out to a quick 10-0 run and never looked back. Olivia Jones scored the first eight points of the quarter for the Tigers (all were two-pointers), then Bella Snyder pitched in a two-point mid-range shot to give the Tigers a 10-6 lead. Selinsgrove Seal Karsen Dodge ended the Tigers hot streak with a two pointer. The quarter moved by quickly as Olivia Jones continued to stay hot, scoring her 11th point of the quarter on a three pointer to put Southern Columbia up 13-8 with 1:59 to go in the first half. Moments later, Lake Dent fouled Sierra Martino in the shooting motion, giving her a chance at the free throw line. Martino knocked down the first shot, but failed to connect on the second (14-8 Tigers). Some more time passed and Lady Seal Lake Dent made her way to the free throw line where she went 0-for-2 (Bella Snyder Foul). With under ten seconds left in the first half, Macie Swank checked into the game and delivered a quick layup. Selinsgrove’s Grace Morrone chucked up a half-court shot as time expired, but it was no good. Southern Columbia carried a 16-8 lead into the half.
Q3 –
The Tigers came out of the half with a 7-0 run thanks to Macie Swank and Sierra Martino. Swank converted a two-point shot, followed by a Sierra Martino two-point shot. Swank then connected on her only three-pointer of the game to give her Tigers a 23-8 lead. Karsen Dodge and her Lady Seals responded with a run of their own. Dodge started the 11-0 run with two deep, contested three-pointers to bring the Lady Seals within nine.
Grace Morrone was able to add on to the run with a three-pointer of her own followed by a Lake Dent two-point tip-shot (23-19 Tigers). After the Seals run, Southern Columbia picked up right where they left off (start of Q3) with a trey from Amelia Leslie. Those were Leslie’s only points of the game (26-19 Tigers). From there, Olivia Jones scored her 13th point of the game on an and-1 layup. Jones wasn’t able to knock down her free throw. The third quarter ended with a nine-point Tigers lead (28-19).
Q4 –
Olivia Jones was on a heater all night long and she continued her reign with four straight points to open the fourth quarter (32-19 Tigers).
When the Seals regained possession Madi Merrell got to the wing and knocked down a big time three-pointer. After a missed shot from the Tigers, the Seals gained possession, and Olivia Jones committed a foul. She made up for on the next possession by draining a two-pointer. Sierra Martino followed Jones with a two-pointer of her own to give the Tigers a 36-22 lead. On the Tigers next offense opportunity, Maddy Benner fouled Macie Swank, which gave her a chance at the line, where she went 1-for-2. The game came to a close with a Lake Dent put-back shot in the paint, setting up a 37-24 final.
Conclusion –
Despite the slow start, Olivia Jones and the Southern Columbia Area Lady Tigers basketball team pulled through to 37-24 victory over the Selinsgrove Lady Seals. Crestwood defeated Jersey Shore 79-17 in the first game of the tournament (Angela Wolfe Memorial Tip-Off Tournament), therefore, Southern Columbia will take them on for the trophy on Friday, December 5th 2025 at 7:30pm. The Seals will play for 3rd place at 6:00pm against Jersey Shore.
