COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Pickerington Central saved the best for last in the finale of the Jared Sullinger Play By Play Classic at Ohio Dominican.

Stunning Walnut Ridge (13-3) with a massive 25-9 game-ending run, the Tigers (13-4) erased a 15-point third quarter deficit to take down the area's hottest team, 63-56.

While Walnut Ridge senior VonCameron Davis had his way with the Tigers in the first half, going for 13 points and 16 rebounds, Central found a way to contain the Kent State signee in the final 16 minutes.

Holding Davis to nine points and three rebounds, Central's work to keep him off the glass did huge things as the Tigers made a game-deciding run. With Walnut Ridge resorting to so many one and done possessions, Central began to pick up momentum in the waning moments of the third quarter.

While it looked as if Walnut Ridge was going to run away with the game when Qian Magwood hooked up Kaveon Ross with a slick assist for two to extend the Scots' lead to 47-32, Pickerington Central did not panic.

The tide seemed to shift on the hustle play of senior guard Conner Maciag, who dove way out of bounds to save a loose ball, creating a fast break opportunity for the Tigers that ended in a big three-point field goal from Tahleik Walker.

Edging the Walnut Ridge lead to 10 points on the play, Pickerington Central seemed to have a shift in psyche, as the Tigers cut the deficit to nine points at 47-38 heading into the fourth quarter.

The final frame was all Tigers, as Maciag's continued hustle made a major impact in the game. Maciag's offensive rebound putback with 6:16 to go cut the lead to four at 49-45. 

This is where Pickerington Central took over for good. While Davis' final three-point play extended the Walnut Ridge lead to four at 53-49 with 5:13 to go, Central dominated the rest of the way.

Going on a 14-3 run in the final 5:13, Central flexed its muscle behind the play of seniors Maciag and Walker and junior Garner Wallace. Closing the game like a team who has won seven of the last eight district titles, Central looked the part of a potential regional champion in the way they shut down a Walnut Ridge that was rolling with great momentum. 

Maciag put the game away for good when he blocked a Zion Blevins three and finished a tough lay in on the other end. He struck back moments later when he stole the ball from Magwood and finished once again in transition, stretching the Central lead to eight points at 63-55. 

Notching yet another signature win, Central is rolling right now as winners of its last seven games. Knocking off quality opponents like Pickerington North and Walnut Ridge in that run, the Tigers have shown great resiliency, facing deadly deficits in both aforementioned games.

Walker led all scorers with 20 points, 14 of which in the second half. The 6-foot-2 senior did an outstanding job guarding his childhood friend Magwood, as the two west side boys went at it for 32 minutes in an entertaining matchup. Coming alive when it mattered most, Walker scored all 14 of his second half points when the Tigers came back from down 15 points in the third quarter. 

Wallace had a double double, using his length to shut down second chance opportunities for the Scots as he finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, taking home game MVP honors.

Maciag scored six of his eight points in the second half, making several key hustle plays and adding five rebounds, two blocks and two steals to his impressive stat line. Central seemed to thrive off Maciag's energy, as his grit and toughness had as big of an impact on the game-deciding run as anything else. 

We were really impressed with the way junior big man Elhadji Thiam played, despite suffering from the flu, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds, doing a great job defending Davis. Central was a different team with Thiam in the game, as his length really bothered Walnut Ridge.

Freshman forward Devin Royal came off the bench and provided the Tigers with a massive spark, scoring all eight points in the second half and finishing at a high level through contact inside. With Thiam going out for stretches in the game, Royal filled in beautifully in the second half, as he and fellow freshman Sonny Styles are garnering key experience in these big-time games against top notch competition.

For Walnut Ridge, Davis still finished with an insane stat line, going for 22 points and 19 rebounds. The Kent State signee did an amazing job finishing through contact, as he converted four three-point plays and was an impossible matchup for most of the game. The senior was limited on the boards in the second half, as Central did a great job keeping him off the offensive glass where he was so effective in the first half.

Fellow senior Kaveon Ross added 15 points, but did not score after his final layup attempt put the Scots up 47-32 in the third quarter. Magwood had a strong game for most of the night, going for eight points and nine assists, as he did a really good job facilitating offense for the Scots and getting into the lane whenever he wanted.

Junior Leon Douglas hit three triples and went for nine points, as he was the only other Walnut Ridge player with more than two points on the night outside of its senior trio.

Suffering its first loss since Dec. 21 against Gahanna, Walnut Ridge will look to regroup this week when the Scots head on the road to take on rival South next Friday with an outright City League South title on the line.

We are interested to see how this group battles the adversity it went through on Saturday, as we saw a few kinks in the armor of a team that looked unbeaten for two and a half quarters.

There is still plenty to accomplish for a team that is lead entirely by its seniors. The Scots have a chance to win its first City League title since 1971, while also looking to have the strongest chance to win the City's first Division I district title since 2015. If this season has showed us anything, it's that anybody can be beaten on any given night.