GROVE CITY, Ohio -- In a rematch of an opening night game in the Grove City Tip Off Classic, the No. 15 Greyhounds hosted No. 29 Mifflin in the sectional semifinals with revenge on its mind.

That revenge never came to fruition, as Mifflin (11-11) steamrolled Grove City (11-12)21-8 in the fourth quarter of a 69-55 win on the road.

After defeating Grove City 65-47 on Dec. 1, Mifflin looked to be in a dog fight with the Dawgs early on in Friday's game.

Despite jumping out to a 15-9 lead in the first six minutes of the game, Mifflin allowed Grove City to establish some much-needed momentum. Going on an 11-0 run from the 1:25 mark of the first quarter until 6:37 left in the half, Grove City jumped out to a 20-15 lead.

Mifflin quickly responded, as 10 points off the bench from senior guard Daveonn Logan helped the Punchers climb to a 31-31 tie going into the half. The play of senior guard James Watkins was critical in the first half for Mifflin, as the 5-foot-10 guard commanded both ends of the floor, going into the break with nine points, seven rebounds and two assists.

While Logan and Watkins paced the Mifflin offense in the first half, the play of an unlikely figure was key in the final 16 minutes. Coming into Friday's tournament game averaging 5.1 points per game, junior forward Ayub Mohamed saved the best performance of his career for the biggest moment yet.

Knocking down back-to-back threes to energize a struggling Mifflin offense, Mohamed helped the Punchers take a 37-36 lead with 5:34 to go in the third. Grove City did not go down lightly, as a three from senior guard PJ Jones closed the gap to 48-47 going into the final frame.

When it seemed as if Grove City was ready to take control of Friday's game, Mohamed stepped in. Knocking down a key three from the top of the key, Mohamed stretched Mifflin's lead back to four at 51-47 with 7:17 remaining. 

Grove City responded quickly as an up and under score from senior guard Nick Erwin trimmed the lead back to 51-49. Mifflin marched back, as an And-1 score from senior wing Jamal Dorsey and one of two Mohamed free throws put the Punchers up 54-49 with 4:47 remaining.

On Grove City's next possession, Jones hit another three, cutting the lead to 54-52 with a little more than four minutes to go. This is when Mifflin took over.

Speeding up Grove City's guards and getting into transition, Mifflin responded with a 13-1 run, as a transition score from Dorsey put the Punchers up 67-53 with 1:18 remaining. Eliminating virtually any chance of a Grove City rally, Mifflin wins a tournament game for the second-straight year.

Coming off the bench and leading the way with 17 points, Logan played an excellent game, knocking down three important triples and giving Mifflin a terrific boost in its full court press. The play of Logan and Dorsey, who added 10 points off the bench, were critical as Mifflin did not have much of a drop off when it went to its reserves. Logan added five assists and three steals.

Watkins, who was the overall MVP for Mifflin on Friday, had an outstanding all-around performance, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals. Watkins is the fastest end-to-end guard in Central Ohio and had several impressive finishes at the rim. A creative finisher with great body control, Watkins kept the pace of Mifflin's offense and had the type of top-end speed to cause havoc on the defensive end.

Mohamed tied his career-high with 14 points, 12 of which after halftime. Knocking down three triples and a very long two-point shot, Mohamed was on fire all second half, stretching the Grove City defense and giving Mifflin an answer in the half court game. A team stock full of seniors, Mohamed is Mifflin's top returner next season.

Senior guards Kelvin Frempong and Itika Wynn rounded out the scoring for Mifflin, as Frempong added seven points and two blocks. Wynn, a three-starter for the Punchers, finished with five points and five assists. With Watkins battling foul trouble in the second half, Wynn was able to calm things for Mifflin, as a tough driving finish for him put the Punchers up 61-53 with 2:30 to go.

With the win, Mifflin will have a chance to advance to its second-straight district semifinal a week from Friday against No. 30 Canal Winchester. Mifflin has one of the area's best transition offenses, as the Punchers' quartet of guards can really cause havoc in the break. The key for Mifflin will be its ability to score in the half court to set up its press, which was a major reason for Friday's fourth quarter explosion. 

Winning six of its last seven games, Mifflin is rolling with momentum right now, as the Punchers have picked up road wins at Northland, Grove City and Linden in that span. 

For Grove City, the seniors Jones and Erwin were the vast majority of the Greyhound offense. Jones, a Lake Erie signee, did all he could to keep Grove City in the game, finishing with a game-high 20 points. Jones hit four threes and made Mifflin's defense pay whenever he was given space. 

Erwin had a strong outing, adding 18 points, finishing strong at the rim and competing on the glass with six rebounds. A talented baseball prospect, Erwin will look to end his senior year on a high note for a Grove City program that is always one of the area's elite.

Senior forward Nolen Hawkins added six points, while senior guards Jason Meggysey and Dominic Reinier finished with five and four points respectively. 

Despite being seeded 15th in Division I, Grove City ends what has been a rough finish to the year. Losing six of its last eight games, Grove City enters a new era as the Greyhounds graduate all five starters.