COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After digging themselves an early hole, Linden-McKinley turned up their defensive pressure and not only turned the game around, they blew out Bloom Carroll by a final score of 55-40.

Two Jared Rose midrange jump shots started the game for the Bulldogs as they took a 4-0 lead before Evan Dozer joined the party with a backdoor layup himself. Linden-McKinley started slow, missing a dunk on the first steal of the game and two layups along with a turnover. Bloom Carroll started the game on an 8-0 run before two free throws from Linden senior Malakhi Armistead got the Panthers on the board. When Bloom Carroll led 8-2 is when the Panthers defense started to lock in and play with intensity as they took the ball multiple times and got the score to 12-9 to end the first quarter after a triple from senior Victor Harvison.

Jared Rose continued his remarkable start as he made the first bucket in the second quarter as well to put the Bulldogs up 14-9. Linden senior LA Walker immediately followed it with an and-one to get the ball rolling for the Panthers. From there, senior LB Towns used his Trackhawk speed in transition to get back-to-back easy baskets. After junior Chris Towns took a charge, Walker buried a three to cap off a 10-0 run for Linden-McKinley. Bloom Carroll senior Da’Shan Clark made a bucket to snap the run and send the Bulldogs into the locker room down 19-16.

The third eight minutes started with another lay-up from LB Towns before Carroll’s Evan Dozer matched it with a bucket of his own. Linden’s defense ramped up even more in the third frame, only allowing six points in the quarter. The senior trio of Towns, Walker and Armistead each pitched in on both sides of the ball, as they built a 35-20 lead over the Bulldogs. After an Evan Dozer bucket, LB Towns absolutely ripped a three-pointer at the buzzer to give his team a 38-22 lead heading into the money quarter.

Opening the final quarter was tough for Linden-McKinley, they had some uncharacteristic turnovers to start and Bloom Carroll cut the lead to as close as 45-38. Walker hit two free throws and calmed his squad before they took off and only allowed two more points the rest of the way before claiming their first district championship since 2005, 55-40.