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Walnut Ridge 79, Africentric 52 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Jake Spegal, 12/10/19, 10:30PM EST

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Von Cameron Davis goes off for 33 points as Walnut Ridge dominates Africentric to open City League play

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sweet revenge.

After being upset by Africentric late in the season last year and losing the chance to play in the City title, Walnut Ridge came out with a vengeance on Tuesday, steamrolling the Nubians 79-52 to open up City League play.

Jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead after a few buckets in transition and a putback, Walnut Ridge set the tone for the game as they brought immediate energy on both ends of the floor. 

After Africentric cut the Walnut Ridge lead to as little as 17-16 in the middle of the second, the Scots answered, going on a 7-0 run to force an Africentric timeout ahead 24-16 with 4:54 left in the first half after a tough finish from Myles Garrett.

Coming up with a pair of steals leading to scores after this, Africentric cut the deficit in half as they trailed just 24-20, but Walnut Ridge took control of the last three minutes of the half, allowing them to head into the locker room ahead 31-22 at the break.

Opening up the second half on a 9-2 run and scoring at will in transition, Walnut Ridge increased their lead to 40-24 three minutes into the third after a big dunk from senior forward Kaveon Ross.

After Africentric responded with two quick buckets of their own to cut the deficit to 40-28, it was all Walnut Ridge for the rest of the game.

Dominating the final 11 minutes of the game, the Scots increased their lead to more than 20 points late. They dominated the glass and ran the floor extremely well, speeding up the game and creating plenty of second chance points on the offensive end.

Making his mark felt from the opening tip until the final buzzer, Von Cameron Davis led Walnut Ridge with 33 points as the Nubians simply had no answer for him on the interior. Leon Douglas added 11 points and Ross scored 10, while Garrett contributed six of his own.

Walnut Ridge moves to 1-1 after the win and will take on Eastmoor Academy on Friday for their first home league game.

Leading Africentric with 19 points, sophomore guard Dan Wagner was excellent throughout the course of the game. Unfortunately for Wagner, he did not get much help as he was the only player in double digits for the Nubians.

Fellow sophomore Josiah Smith added nine points, while Cali Davis  and Austin Morris each scored five for Africentric, who will be back in action on Friday as they will host South in the 270 Hoops Game of the Week.


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Von Cameron Davis  (6'5 WF / Walnut Ridge / 2020): Dominating Africentric on the interior all night, Davis was a man amongst the boys tonight, leading Walnut Ridge with 33 points and seemingly doing whatever he wanted on the offensive end. The broad shouldered bully finished around the rim extremely efficiently, plowing through contact and creating clean looks time and time again. Davis had a handful of and-ones, scored on the offensive glass and also hit a three from the wing during the third quarter. We love the motor and toughness he plays with, as there aren't many matchups for the Kent State commit in the City League with his combination of skill, finishing ability and brute strength near the basket. Davis should continue to put up numbers like this all season, a big reason why many people believe he is a favorite to win Mr. Basketball in the state of Ohio.

Dan Wagner (5'11 G / Africentric / 2022): Putting together an extremely impressive showing on the offensive end on Tuesday, Wagner was just about the only bright spot for Africentric as he paced them with 19 points. The sophomore guard used his quickness and handle to get to the rim on multiple occasions, completing several tough finishes through contact near the rim and showcasing a good floater on one possession. Wagner also hit two three's made some instinctive passes off the dribble and came up with some steals while playing the passing lanes and making good reads within the Africentric press. We like the offensive arsenal and competitiveness of Wagner as he seems to make better choices on that end of the floor every time we see him and brings a fiery passion to the floor for the Nubians.

Qian Magwood (6'1 PG / Walnut Ridge / 2020): Though he only scored four points tonight (we can not stress this enough, there is more to basketball than scoring), Magwood was excellent on both ends of the floor for Walnut Ridge all night long. The 6-foot-1 guard played excellent perimeter defense, staying in front of Africentric's guards and making them earn all of their buckets. He also did an excellent job of creating for his teammates on offense as the senior made some really good passes while penetrating off the dribble, made some good outlet passes and did an excellent job of pushing the pace of the game all night. Though his feature may be on the gridiron as a Division I wide receiver, Qian's play will help determine a lot of Walnut Ridge's success this season as he sets the tone for the Scots with his emotion, defensive effort and ability to get his team going in transition.

Leon Douglas (6'3 WG / Walnut Ridge / 2021): Going for 11 points tonight, Douglas pieced together a solid showing for Walnut Ridge. Knocking down three triples off the catch and scoring off of a putback, the junior gave the Scots some much-needed outside shooting. At a long 6-foot-3, he can shoot overtop of defenders, has a smooth release and takes what the defense gives him. He did a very good job of playing within the offense tonight as he didn't force things and put together an efficient showing from deep. We like what Douglas bring on the defensive end as well as he can defend on the perimeter, can block shots with his length and can help contribute on the glass. If Walnut Ridge can continue to get the outside shooting that they did from Douglas tonight, it will open up their offense a lot as virtually every team they play will focus on packing it inside and not letting Von Cameron Davis beat them every possession.

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