Olivia Jones and Long Island Lutheran girls defeat Gill St. Bernard's School
Olivia Jones had 27 points and 10 rebounds as Lutheran girls dominated Gill St. Bernard’s (Gladstone, NJ) on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The Long Island Lutheran girls basketball team has dealt with its fair share of adversity this season, but junior guard Olivia Jones has been the glue through it all.
Jones — a four-star prospect and the No. 22 recruit in the Class of 2026, per ESPN’s recruiting rankings — is the lone returnee from the Crusaders’ 2024 national semifinalist squad currently in the rotation.
She was dominant Tuesday against Gill St. Bernard’s School (Gladstone, N.J.), posting 27 points and 10 rebounds in a 69-43 non-league home win to snap Lutheran’s two-game skid.
“It’s definitely been something different,” Jones said. “I would say that being the only returner, there comes a leadership role that you have to be able to carry on. But I would just say that I’m taking this group under my wing and making sure that everyone’s good.”
Zaniyah Williams had 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals, and Emily McDonald added nine points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks for LuHi (16-5) in its penultimate game of the season. The Crusaders opened the second quarter on a 17-0 run to pull away from the Knights (19-4), who were led by Addy Platt’s 12 points.
The Crusaders do not have any seniors on their roster, and they have had to overcome torn ACLs from junior stars Savannah Swords and Sanai Green. That has made Jones’ role especially crucial.
“I think she’s been a go-to for us,” coach Christina Raiti said. “She’s been a sense of stability . . . When Savvy (Swords) went down, all eyes were on OJ, and that could be a tricky spot, right? Because she’s more of a leader by example. She’s the hardest worker ever. She’s first in the gym, last in the gym, but now we’re asking her to step up in different ways. So I think it’s been a really cool journey to see.”
Williams scored six points, McDonald scored five, Jones scored four and Emily Forrester scored two as part of the second-quarter run that gave LuHi a 35-12 lead with 2:46 left in the first half. It led 38-21 at halftime, 56-31 after three quarters and by as many as 30 at 69-39 with 1:04 left.
“I’ll say togetherness, how much we need to lean on each other and communicate and just trust each other,” Williams said of what LuHi has learned this season. “Because when a player goes down, you know that’s bad. But our connection needs to stay together in order for us to still get the job done.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
