Great Crossing Survives Scare Against Spencer County in First Round of Sweet 16

This was the Bears’ first Sweet 16 game in school history. Up until Wednesday night, Spencer County High School had never made a run at basketball glory. So, for all of those people from the 8th Region screaming their hearts out in blue and white inside Rupp Arena, this was their first shot at the ultimate victory.

To start the second half, Spencer County trailed Great Crossing by just one point, 29-28. As soon as the Bears exited the tunnel onto the floor, every fan in blue erupted.

Spencer County’s fans willed the Bears onto a fantastic run in the third quarter, which brought them to a seven-point lead with 4:06 left in the third quarter. In this run, the Bears hit four threes, every time igniting the crowd into a frenzy unseen in high school basketball.

Luke Erhardt and Camden Cox went back to back from deep during the run, neither touching the rim.

Spencer County @spencer_boys by SIX. @lukerhardt for 3 over the 7-footer for 41-35 at 4:48 3Q. No. 1 in trouble. 2024 Boys’ #KHSAASweet16 pic.twitter.com/9V40AlZYCy

— Jared Peck (@HLpreps) March 21, 2024

And just like that, the #1 team in the state and nationally ranked Warhawks, were on the ropes. Adversity would be an understatement, as the Bears seemed disinterested in going away, and any proceeding Greta Crossing bucket was met with an answer.

However, when you are that highly ranked, you usually have some toughness. And as Great Crossing showed in their narrow victory over #2 Lexington Catholic in the 11th Region final, they have toughness.

Second Half Resilience

When Spencer County surged ahead with a seven-point lead, Great Crossing didn’t flinch. They showed their mettle, chipping away at the deficit with relentless determination. Jeremiah Godfrey’s back-to-back dunks and Malachi Moreno‘s dunk and tip injected new life into the Warhawks.

Through Moreno and Godfrey, the Warhawks were able to take over and tie the game at 44 to end the third quarter. Great Crossing Coach Steve Page spoke on their second-half change: “I mean, did Moreno score eight of the first 10? Yeah, we wanted him to get going, but then we kind of went away from him. So then, in the second half, we overloaded one side. We knew if we put (Dawson) there, they would have to come to guard him.” 

This worked to perfection, as Vince Dawson assumed most of the harsh defense from Spencer, which allowed Godfrey and Moreno to eat down low. The fourth quarter was all Warhawks, as they went from tied to up 10 by the three-minute mark in the fourth. Between the usual stars of Great Crossing, not even Spencer County’s shooting could keep up with the Warhawks. 

Even in a bad game, Dawson showed what makes this team so great.

“I mean, that just goes to show you the team we have and the passion we play with,” Dawson said. “So it wasn’t my like shooting the ball, but I did other things. I rebounded, played defense, and these guys picked me up all night and told me it’s gonna be all right, and we’re gonna get past this game.” 

Even with his 3-10 shooting, all of Great Crossing still seemed confident in their guy. This will come in handy, as Dawson has already shown in his magic against Lexington Catholic.

Malachi Moreno’s Dominance

Kentucky recruit and top-20 player in the 2025 class, Malachi Moreno, was superb in the matchup for Great Crossing. The seven-footer finished with 24 points and 19 rebounds, a ridiculous stat line that proved his rankings to be deserved.

After the game, Moreno spoke on his toughness, “I knew after the first couple shots that I wasn’t gonna get any foul calls, so I sort of just had to deal with it. And be tougher than my opponent.”

Moreno is skinnier, so it was significant to see him fight through contact as he did against Spencer County. Throughout the night, Spencer showed incredible heart to play with Moreno, but he was just too good in the post. Moreno and Great Crossing will look to continue this dominance in their quarterfinal matchup on Friday against Magoffin County at 11:00 a.m. EST.