BEXLEY, Ohio -- In a back-and-forth game throughout, Gahanna  junior wing Jarius Jones made the biggest shot of his life on Saturday, knocking down the game-winning three at the buzzer to take down Walnut Ridge 53-50 in the second game of the day at the Capital City Coaches for a Cure Classic at Capital University.

Jumping out to a quick 11-4 lead three and a half minutes in, Walnut Ridge set the tone early after senior guard Qian Magwood threw a dime of a no-look pass to ​​​​​​​VonCameron Davis in transition and then hit a floater after a tough behind the back move.

They pushed this lead to 14-7 after a tough finish inside from Davis and before a couple buckets from Gahanna  to end the quarter cut the deficit to 16-12 after one.

Picking up his second foul early on in the second, Davis was forced to sit out the first four minutes of the quarter and this hurt the Scots greatly.

They didn't score a single point without him on the floor, as Gahanna  used an 8-0 run capped off by two free throws from senior ​​​​​​​Nate Staib  to claim a 20-16 lead with 4:42 to go in the half.

Going on a 7-0 run to end the half after Davis checked back in, Walnut Ridge headed into the locker room at halftime ahead 23-20 following a tough drive and score from ​​​​​​​Kaveon Ross ​​​​​​​right before the buzzer.

Behind a tough finish and a pull-up in the mid-range from ​​​​​​​Zane Leitwein, Gahanna tied the game at 25 with 5:44 left in the third.

The Lions led 28-26 with 4:51 remaining in the frame after a triple from Leitwein, but Davis ended the half with 11 points on two three's and an and-one, with his final triple giving the Scots a 38-35 lead heading into the final quarter.

While ​​​​​​​Maceo Williams finished an extremely tough and-one from Staib to tie it at 38 to begin the fourth, Davis answered with another triple to give Walnut Ridge a 41-38 lead with 7:06 left to play.

Gahanna answered with a take from Staib and a three from Jones to give the Lions a 43-41 lead with 5:45 to go, but the Scots went on a quick 8-3 run after this, forcing a Gahanna timeout ahead 49-46 with 3:09 to go.

Walnut Ridge increased their lead to 50-48 with a minute left after Magwood hit the front end of a one-and-one. On the next possession, Jones had a lay-in attempt rim just out, but Leitwein cleaned up the miss and tied the game at 50.

Davis then missed a three and Kaveon Ross lost the offensive rebound out of bounds, giving Gahanna a chance to win it with 3.7 seconds left.

After inbounding the ball to Williams from halfcourt, he kicked it to ​​​​​​​Jarius Jones for an open three to end it as time expired.

Gahanna moves to 7-0 after the big win and won't be back in action until they host Zanesville next Saturday.

For Walnut Ridge, they move to 5-2 after the loss and won't play again until they take on Hilliard Bradley on January 4th at The Challenge.

Von Cameron Davis (6'5 WF / Walnut Ridge / 2020): Despite being plagued with foul trouble in the first half, Davis looked like his normal self in the second half as he dominated Gahanna on the interior and scored a ton of buckets around the rim. The most impressive part of his game was his outside shooting, however, as the Kent State commit knocked down three triples and showed off his improved offensive arsenal on the perimeter. He also finished a nice layup attacking the rim in transition as he handled the ball well all day and wasn't afraid to attack defenders off the dribble in the halfcourt. Today was just another day at the office for VonCam, as he is as efficient as any player in the area and puts up big time scoring numbers that Walnut Ridge desperately needs virtually every time out.

Zane Leitwein (6'2 WG / Gahanna / 2020): Leitwein had an excellent two-way showing against Walnut Ridge, scoring in multiple ways on the offensive end and making a handful of great hustle plays throughout the contest. He knocked down two three's off the catch and had some really tough finishes in the teeth of the Walnut Ridge defense, using his lanky frame and soft touch to convert near the basket very often. The senior wing was active on the offensive glass as well, as his biggest play of the day came in that area. After a tough lay-up from Sean Jones rimmed just out, Leitwein cleaned up the miss and finished through contact to tie the game at 50. While Leitwein has some intriguing offensive tools, his motor and work ethic make him a good look for small college programs.

Qian Magwood (6'0 PG / Walnut Ridge / 2020): Magwood is earning a mention here due to the excellent defense that he played on Jones throughout the game. Making the star sophomore guard earn every bucket, Magwood used his lateral quickness, active hands and bulldog mindset to make it a tough day for Sean.  On the offensive end, he made some good outlet passes to start the break, threw a few good passes in transition, knocked down a three and hit a tough floater in transition. Qian's skillset on the defensive end is very, very good and he can affect the tempo of the game in transition, as he set the tone for the Scots early on today and gives them a gritty attitude every night out.

Sean Jones (5'11 PG / Gahanna / 2022): Despite a slow first half start where he only managed three points, Jones turned it on down the stretch and helped will his team to victory. Setting up his teammates for some easy buckets and getting to the rim a handful of times, Sean was his usual self for most of the second half on the offensive end as he created a lot of the Lions points. He also hit a three off the catch, had a tough and-one through contact and had a tough and-one on a pull-up from the mid-range. Sean is as skilled as they come at the guard position and brings it on both ends every game out. He is a simply a winner and some college program is going to get really, really big steal in a couple of years. 

Kaveon Ross (6'6 PF / Walnut Ridge / 2020): Ross proved to be a solid secondary scoring option for Walnut Ridge on Saturday as he scored some really tough buckets on the interior and navigated through the Gahanna defense excellently. Ross attacked off the dribble for a few tough scores while working out of the pick and roll, using a swift euro step and his big frame to get to the rim at ease and create some clean looks near the rim. Ross showed off a soft touch in the post, finishing off a few good looks with his back to the basket. With a reliable handle, great athleticism and good touch near the basket, Ross gives Walnut Ridge a really solid second option in the half court along with a big defensive presence on the interior alongside VonCameron Davis. 

In a tough matchup against a physical front line of Walnut Ridge, we were impressed with the underclassmen trio of juniors Maceo Williams and Jarius Jones and sophomore Javan Simmons of Gahanna. Each took turns defending both Davis and Ross, holding their own and providing key toughness for the Lions. Williams had his finest moments in the fourth quarter, as a key And-1 finish tied the game early in the period. For Simmons, he had a solid first half while Jones nearly waited all game before striking gold with the game-winning three.