Great Crossing Holds off Scott County to Advance in 11th Region

The 10th-ranked Great Crossing Warhawks held off rival Scott county on Tuesday night to advance in the 11th Region tournament. The 53-42 win marks Great Crossing’s second straight regional final-four appearance. Last season, the Warhawks fell to Henry Clay. This time around, Great Crossing will meet No. 2 Lexington Catholic on March 4th at EKU.

Head coach Steve Page and the Warhawks got all they could handle from the Cardinals. However, sophomore Vince Dawson shined in the hard-nosed encounter Great Crossing, scoring 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Dawson scored an impressive 11 points in the third quarter, including a dagger three that sent the crowd ablaze.

Fellow sophomore Malachi Moreno added 12 points along with 12 rebounds but couldn’t get going with the slower-paced game. Nevertheless, Moreno will be a crucial player in Great Crossing’s quest for Rupp Arena glory, and the young big is poised for an excellent performance against Lexington Catholic and the Knights’ seven-footer, Reece Potter.

Dawson is heating up, that’s 11 in the quarter🔥 pic.twitter.com/gqDWHguSjE

— Brady Byrdwell (@BByrdwellKSR) March 1, 2023

Slow Start Hampers Great Crossing Hype

A rivalry matchup usually makes for a high-motor affair. Scott County knew this and planned accordingly. The first quarter was a throwback to the “good ol’ days’ of 80s Big East basketball. Scott County head coach Tim Glenn went into his Tony Bennett coaching handbook and slowed the pace to a crawl. They were limiting every GC procession to one shot and taking opportunities to strike. As a result, the Cardinals controlled the clock and only trailed 5-2 at the end of the opening quarter.

Page was upset with the start from the Warhawks, “We were trying to get them to pressure. We had a plan on their flex to trap their first pass, but we weren’t going. Lately, we’ve had trouble keeping people out of the lane. Give those guys (Scott County) a lot of credit. They came in with a good game plan; we just couldn’t make baskets.”

Back-to-Back threes for Scott Co gives the Cardinals a 10-5 lead with 5:14 left in the 2nd Quarter pic.twitter.com/UrrnROsc7j

— Brady Byrdwell (@BByrdwellKSR) March 1, 2023

The start clearly upset the Great Crossing players as Scott County started the second quarter with a blazing 10-0 run. The run included a Micah Glenn three and a steal and score from point guard DaQuis Brown. This run seemingly frustrated Dawson as he answered with an and-one and layup. However, the final strike of the first half came from Scott County’s Micah Glenn as a mid-range jumper gave the Cardinals a 14-10 lead into halftime.

After the game, Dawson reflected on the start, “The first half, we came out shocked. That’s the team we beat by 30 earlier in the season; we gotta stop coming out slow. After we fixed that and started running, we played good.”

Dawson references Great Crossing’s January 7th dismantling of Scott County, where the Warhawks dominated 64-34. However, Scott County was willing to slow the game to a halt to pull off the upset and avenge their loss.

Second Half Surge Propels Great Crossing to Win

One thing that all of the 11th Region learned on Tuesday night was do not wake up the Warhawks.

Page came out of halftime with a completely different game plan. Great Crossing began to double every baseline pass in the halfcourt. This caused fits for the Cardinals as they finished the game with 14 turnovers. Great Crossing capitalized on the turnovers, scoring 16 of their points following mistakes from Scott County. The Warhawks also changed their offensive scheme, as Page’s players scored a whopping 26 points in the paint. Holding the Cardinals to 12 points inside the stripe was arguably even more impressive.

“In the second half, we were able to extend our pressure all the way out. We felt when we got the lead, they would have to play our style. 14-10 halftime, then 43-28 in the second half, is a lot different. The second is more our style and how we want to play.” Page said on the second-half turnaround. He continued, “At halftime of an elimination game, you know you’re gonna be fine as long as we can get a lead and make them play at our pace.”

Here come the Warhawks, the 10th ranked team in the state take a 22-16 lead with 4:14 remaining in the 3rd pic.twitter.com/MUlx8SfJn1

— Brady Byrdwell (@BByrdwellKSR) March 1, 2023

The turning point of the second half came after Great Crossing took a 25-15 lead early in the third quarter. The frustration of losing a lead that the Cardinals had worked hard for angered the squad. After a questionable foul call, Scott County’s Lamarion McGrapth was assessed a technical foul that signaled the Great Crossing surge would last. The technical came from something said, but from the sideline, it did not seem that McGrapth deserved the technical.

However, the damage was done as Junius Burrell helped Great Crossing extend the lead with great drives and distribution. The sophomore guard finished with 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists for the Warhawks. Overall, the Warhawks shot 51.6% from the field in the second half, a stark contrast from the 21.4% shot in the first half.

Looking Forward

With No. 2 Lexington Catholic on the horizon, the Warhawks know their work is far from over. They suffered a January 28th loss to the Knights in the Gary Moore Classic. Safe to say that Great Crossing has revenge on their mind, along with advancing.

Dawson sounded like a seasoned veteran after the game, “We gotta stay focussed. Practice is where it starts, we’ve had a couple rough practices, and it’s shown. We gotta really lock in this week in practice.”

All of Warhawk nation will hope that the players and staff get on the same page heading into their semifinal matchup with a regional championship appearance on the line.