Malachi Moreno, Great Crossing drop first game of City of Palms Classic with a blowout loss

Great Crossing High School, located in Georgetown, KY, was presented with a rare opportunity on Thursday night in Florida.

Ranked No. 2 in the state of Kentucky, the Warhawks and future Wildcat center Malachi Moreno were selected as one of 16 teams to participate in a loaded City of Palms Classic bracket that features mostly nationally ranked programs. The reward? A showdown against arguably the best high school team in the entire country: The Columbus Explorers (FL), which are led by Top 25 twin brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer (not to mention the other four-star talents spread across the roster).

It was a David vs. Goliath sort of matchup. Great Crossing is one of the better teams in the Bluegrass, but Moreno — the 31st-best recruit in the 2025 class, per On3 — is the team’s only true star. Meanwhile, Columbus is loaded with several future high-major players. Cameron Boozer is the star of stars as the country’s No. 2 overall high school prospect and a projected future NBA lottery pick.

And unfortunately, David was not able to overcome Goliath in this version of the story. Columbus absolutely smacked Great Crossing by a final score of 90-39. It was competitive in the opening minutes with the Warhawks hitting shots from deep, but the overall talent level of Columbus quickly became too much. It was a 24-point game at halftime as the Explorers were shooting 22-32 from the field. The route was officially on to start the second half.

Moreno didn’t play poorly by any means, but he certainly didn’t have what he would call a great performance. The seven-footer went for 10 points (4-10 FG), six rebounds, three blocks, and one assist in 22 minutes. He also turned the ball over twice and was hit with four fouls before sitting on the bench for most of the fourth quarter to finish the blowout. The matchup against Cameron and Columbus’ pure athleticism was simply too much for him or any of his teammates to handle. Moreno was the only Great Crossing player in double-figures.

Cameron Boozer led all scorers with 23 points to go along with nine rebounds. Twin brother Cayden Boozer wasn’t too far behind with 16 points and eight assists. Four-star 2026 wing Caleb Gaskins chipped in 18 points and six rebounds while fellow four-star 2026 wing Jaxon Richardson added 16 points on 8-9 shooting.

Following a 6-0 start to the season, Great Crossing has dropped its last two games. The Warhawks lost to freshly No. 1 ranked St. Xavier on Sunday before falling again on Thursday in Florida. Great Crossing will have a chance to bounce back before heading home though. Now in the consolation bracket, they’ll face Westminster Academy (FL), led by 2026 four-star Kentucky target Alex Constanza, on Friday morning at 10:40 a.m. EST.