BEXLEY, Ohio -- East Knox dominated the fourth quarter to beat Grove City Christian 51-36 and capture their first district title ever on Saturday.

Caleb Ransom got the scoring going for Grove City Christian but Shane Knepp answered with a three for East Knox. The Eagles started in a 2-3 zone while the Bulldogs were in a man defense. Both teams went back and forth as the first quarter ended tied at 11. East Knox knocked down three triples in the first period. 

Sam Whitney scored on back-to-back possessions with two great drop step post finishes to start the second. The senior was also big on the boards all game for the Bulldogs.

Seth Vaughn then buried a three to give Grove City Christian the lead. After a few baskets were traded, Ransom hit another layup off a nice spin move to tie the game at 17. This was the final bucket of the half as the teams went into the locker room knotted up at 17.

The sophomore duo of Vaughn and Ransom combined for 13 of the Eagles’ 17 first half points. Knepp, East Knox’s leading scorer, was held to just five first half points. 

Grove City Christian did a great job limiting Knepp’s production in the first 16 minutes. However, it is hard to keep a district player of the year in check for so long. The crafty senior guard rattled off seven straight points to open the half.

The Eagles answered with a Vaughn three and a Brayden Taylor layup to slow down East Knox’s momentum. Knepp then hit a driving layup to close a 13 point third quarter for him which gave East Knox a 30-27 lead heading into the final quarter.

This game was back and forth for three quarters until East Knox took control. Their controlling fourth quarter started with a Dillon Moreland triple and a Whitney layup.

Grove City Christian only played six guys in their rotation which took a toll on their fourth-quarter energy. Jaydunn Harris hit a three to quiet the East Knox crowd momentarily, then Knepp scored five more to put East Knox in front 41-30.

Grove City Christian was forced to start fouling and shooting threes as the Bulldogs pulled away. East Knox held firm and added the first district title banner ever to their gym, beating Grove City Christian 51-36. 

Knepp led all scorers with 25 points with 20 of those coming in the second half. Moreland chipped in 16 and hit some key free throws down the stretch. For Grove City Chrisitan, Vaughn had 15 points while Ransom added 12. 

East Knox is led by a group of seniors who were able to cut down a net in their final year of high school hoops. Grove City Chrisitan will return everyone on their roster which is a very rare thing to see.