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4841 Runs The City: Walnut Ridge wins first City League title since 1971

By Zach Fleer, 02/15/20, 2:00PM EST

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Walnut Ridge took down Linden-McKinley to win its first City League title in 49 years

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It's been a long time coming for this on 4841 Livingston Avenue. 

49 years to exact.

Walnut Ridge will have to wait no more.

Behind 34 points and 12 rebounds from senior superstar VonCameron Davis, Walnut Ridge won its first City League championship since 1971 in a 74-59 victory over Linden-McKinley.

Despite Linden holding a 17-14 lead after a quarter of play and seeming to counter with every punch that Walnut Ridge threw, the Panthers were not prepared for the storm that was coming their way.

That storm was Davis.

Going for 22 points and 10 rebounds in the first half alone, Davis fueled a dominant 26-6 second quarter that broke the game open. From that point forward, Linden-McKinley never got any closer than 15 points, as Walnut Ridge dominated the second half.

Linden-McKinley was never able to recover from the third foul that junior forward Shamarion Rogers picked up in the second quarter. With Walnut Ridge having a massive size advantage in the front court, the Scots punished Linden on the interior on its way to making history.

Davis was the key cog in the win, as the Kent State signee had a Mr. Basketball type showing with 34 points and 12 rebounds. Dominating Linden on the interior, Davis was a massive force to deal with on the glass, as he cleaned up a variety of second chance opportunities. 

Outside of Davis, senior forward Kaveon Ross had a strong showing as well with 15 points. The front court duo made the difference, as Linden never really had any matchup for them when Rogers was off the floor.

Senior guard and four year starter Qian Magwood added four points and some stellar defense, while junior guard Leon Douglas continued a breakout season with eight points. 

For Linden, Rogers was everything and then some for a program that played in its first City title game since 1992. Finishing with 20 points, Rogers was relentless on the glass and was able to draw contact and convert at the free throw line.

Outside of Rogers, senior guard Logan Hudson had a good showing with 10 points, eight of which in the first quarter where Linden held a 17-14 lead.

Junior wing Chance Groce had a tough go of things, finishing with nine points. With Rogers out of the game, Groce was responsible for dealing with Davis, which seemed to be too much for the junior that played an immense role in helping Linden win its last 10 North division games to get to this point.

With its leading scorer and sophomore LA Walker still out with a foot injury, Linden struggled to find consistent scoring on Saturday in a game that Walnut Ridge dominated for the last three quarters.

Surpassing 2,000 career points and becoming the all-time leading scorer in both the City League and the Central District Division I, Davis put yet another notch on a belt that is becoming extremely heavy. 

Leading the Scots to its first City League title in 1971, Davis should have a major case to win Ohio Mr. Basketball. What he has done for this program has never been seen before, as he took the game into his own hands to lead the Scots a history-making win. 

With a favorable draw in the Division I district tournament, Walnut Ridge will have a chance to cut down another handful of nets, beginning with its first round matchup next Saturday against Westland. 

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