CATAWISSA -- In a battle between two schools better known for their football programs, Monday's game between host Southern Columbia and Selinsgrove naturally featured plenty of physical play.
After a combined 43 fouls and 55 free-throw attempts, the Seals finally pulled it out. Reserve guard Tyler Krebs made five foul shots in the final minute and a half in Selinsgrove's 54-53 victory.
"I challenged the guys to match (the Tigers') energy," said Seals coach Ray Moyer, whose team clinched a playoff berth with the victory. "I said, 'This is the most energetic team in all three divisions (of the Heartland Athletic Conference). ... If you could get the playoffs tonight, that would be something special.'"
Eric Elliott posted a team-high 12 points for the Seals (11-6) to go with his game-high 14 rebounds; Andrew Pomykalski added 11 before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Southern's Brad Fegley led all scorers with 15 points. Kristian Klebon added 12 despite being in foul trouble most of the night.
"The fouls in the first half were (14-4)," said Tigers coach Dave Yost, whose team shot 13 fewer free throws on the night. "It's something you'd like to question as a coach, because I thought both teams were playing physical."
There were two ties and three lead changes in the fourth quarter. The final tie of the night came at the 2:45 mark, as Southern's Casey Savitski grabbed an offensive board and was fouled while knocking in a putback. His subsequent foul shot made the score 49-49.
After grabbing just two offensive rebounds in the first half, the Tigers (12-5) had 11 after intermission.
"We talked (at halftime) about getting outrebounded and outscrapped," Yost said.
Savitski's three-point play started a 7-1 run by Southern. Kristian Klebon scored the Tigers' last shots of the night when he canned two free throws to give Southern a 53-50 lead with 48.1 seconds to play.
Krebs then missed a shot on the other end for the Seals, but after taking the ball back upcourt, the Tigers turned it over.
Krebs was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer with 20.9 seconds to go, and he made the first two before missing the last one. But Elliott came up with the board, and ultimately Krebs was fouled again. He hit both with 13.9 seconds left for the final margin.
"I just went through my regular routine," Krebs said of his three trips to the line in the fourth. "It's really just positive thinking."
Southern brought the ball upcourt before calling timeout with 4.8 seconds left. After three straight timeouts, Fegley got the ball inbounds, only to be called for double dribble.
The Tigers fouled Justin Keiser on the other end. He missed both, but Southern couldn't get a desperation heave off in time.
"You had two teams that were trying to fight and get better at the end of the season," Yost said. "That's what it boiled down to: Two teams battling each other."
Southern scored the first 12 points of the game, mostly thanks to its long-range shooting. The Tigers made eight 3-pointers on the night, including a 7-for-9 effort in the first half. But they were 1-for-12 from beyond the arc after the break.
"We did ... get out in their faces a little better," Moyer said. "I thought we did a better job at that (after halftime)."
Selinsgrove, meanwhile, did its damage inside. The Seals didn't make a 3-pointer in the game, but they scored 34 points in the paint.
