COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sometimes you just have to ride with the hot hand. For Reynoldsburg coach Scott Davis, he did just that in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's matchup vs. Newark.

Utilizing a rotation with multiple bench players, Reynoldsburg outscored the visiting Wildcats in a 19-11 fourth quarter that led the Raiders to a big 59-53 non-conference win.

Trailing 50-47 with 5:10 to go, Reynoldsburg went on a key 8-0 run over the next four and a half minutes. Clutch threes from reserve seniors Malcolm Murphy and Cole Crosby gave Reynoldsburg the lead, while senior guard Elijah Thurston's layup put the Raider lead to five at 55-50 with 50 seconds remaining. 

Newark would score just one more bucket in the final minute, as Reynoldsburg hit clutch free throws to come away with the win. 

In a fourth quarter that went the total opposite of last Friday's final frame in a loss to Gahanna, Reynoldsburg made the major plays down the stretch and stepped up defensively to stifle the Newark offense.

Crosby's defense on Newark super senior JT Shumate, who led all scorers with 25 points, was key in the last five minutes. Not allowing Shumate to get an easy look, Crosby played the most important stretch of his career in the win. 

Crosby was not alone on the defensive end, however. Senior guard Myonne Turner forced back-to-back turnovers in the backcourt to spark the run when the Raiders trailed 50-47.

Leading the way for Reynoldsburg was Thurston, who had 13 points, to go along with three assists and three steals. Junior guard Ben Fort added 12 points, including three important triples in the second half. Senior forward and leading scorer Tre Williams finished with eight points and four rebounds, but would only play for about 40 seconds in the fourth quarter, as Reynoldsburg opted for a different lineup.

Crosby added eight points, all of which in the fourth quarter including two big threes. 

For Newark, Shumate led all scorers with 25 points in addition to nine rebounds. Picking up two fouls in the first half, Shumate would weather the storm to go into the half without picking up a crucial third.

Senior point guard Antonio Watson added 12 points in a strong performance. No other Newark player would score more than six points, as the Wildcats struggled to find offense outside of its senior duo.

With the win, Reynoldsburg improves to 3-1 and will host Grove City and Dublin Coffman on Friday and Saturday. For Newark, the Wildcats drop to 1-2 and will return to the floor on Friday to take on Franklin Heights.