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Linden-McKinley forces tie atop City League North with huge win over Mifflin

By Cameron Carter, 01/17/20, 11:57PM EST

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Chance Groce powers Linden to first place in the City League North

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- 

On Dec. 10 earlier this season, Linden-McKinley went into Mifflin only to be upset in a tight game. 

Tonight was a different story however, as Linden (7-6, 6-2) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, handing Mifflin (9-6, 6-2) their second league loss this season, 54-49. 

The Panthers were led by standout junior Chance Groce with 16 points, four rebounds, and five steals. Groce started slowly, only scoring three points in the first half. Despite the slow start, the 6-foot-6 wing guard controlled the flow of the game all night and was huge in his team’s win. 

Linden was able to jump out to a quick 8-2 lead after threes from senior Quanial Christian and sophomore LA Walker. With 45 seconds left in the first quarter, sophomore LB Towns buried the Panthers third three-pointer, giving them a 16-8 lead to take into the second frame. 

After a Linden timeout with 4:49 left in the second quarter, Mifflin came out in a zone press attempting to shift the momentum Linden had gained. After trading a few buckets, 6-foot-6 senior Mikal King knocked down a three, cutting the Linden lead to five with 2:32 left in the half. 

Linden ended up with the last possession of the half and as the last few seconds ticked off the clock, it didn’t seem like they would get off a shot. That was until Christian took a dribble towards half court to create space and threw up a prayer that banked in, giving Linden a 26-17 lead to carry into the locker room. 

Mifflin struggled with taking care of the ball in the first half, and that would continue in the third quarter. They opened up the second half with possession and ended up turning the ball over, which led to a three-pointer from Groce. Mifflin junior guard Kendrick Frempong had two impressive offensive takes, but the Linden lead remained at nine going into the final quarter, 38-29.

After a few steals and layups, 6-foot-3 Mifflin senior Kennden Tyson got a bucket that cut the Linden lead to five with 7:09 left in the fourth quarter. 

Next, Groce would make a defining play of the game on the defensive end when he hustled past multiple Mifflin defenders to retain possession for Linden. Mifflin would cut the lead down to as little as four after a Tyson layup with 3:33 left, but two huge and-ones in transition from Linden junior Shamarion Rogers and LA Walker would end up sealing this game for the Panthers. 

Linden would bend, but not break. The trio of Groce, Walker and Rogers would prove to be too impressive and too much for Mifflin to handle throughout the night. 

The two programs now sit in a tie atop the City League North at 6-2. Linden’s other league loss came at Centennial while Mifflin’s came at Northland. 

Linden hasn’t won the North since 1992 and Mifflin hasn’t finished at the top since 1987. With these two schools having successful seasons up to this point, the last half of the season is shaping up to be a very interesting one in both sides of the City League. 

Linden continues their season tomorrow afternoon as Des Watson and DeSales make the trip to the Panthers gymnasium. 

Mifflin is back in action Tuesday with a huge matchup against Northland as they will look to avenge their previous loss to the Vikings. That will be a must-win for Mifflin if they want to stay at the top of the league standings.


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