Malachi Moreno, Great Crossing secure school's first Sweet 16 title with 71-61 win over Bowling Green

After coming up short in the state semifinals a year ago, Kentucky commit Malachi Moreno could have easily gone out of state and transferred to a prep school for his final high school season. But the Bluegrass native and four-star prospect had unfinished business with a group of teammates he’d been battling with for years.

To leave on a sour note wouldn’t have felt right to the seven-footer.

So Moreno came back to Great Crossing for one final run. A year later, that decision paid off with some hardware. The Warhawks came into Rupp Arena and won the 2025 UK HealthCare Boys Basketball Sweet 16 on Saturday night in Rupp Arena. The Warhawks did so by taking down the Bowling Green Purples in the state title game, 71-61.

“It’s definitely a surreal moment,” Moreno said postgame. “I wanted to end my high school career on this floor, holding a big ole trophy. I know it wasn’t my last time on the floor, but it was my last time in a Great Crossing uniform. It’s honestly surreal. Coach is gonna have a tough time taking this jersey away from me.”

And the Warhawks have done it!!

In the school’s first-ever Sweet 16 title game, Great Crossing takes down Bowling Green 71-61 to win state.

Kentucky commit Malachi Moreno finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. pic.twitter.com/RWxFT0uhkn

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) March 30, 2025

This was the first-ever championship round appearance for Great Crossing, which was established in 2019. The Warhawks were tasked with winning four games in a three-day span, but head coach Steve Page drew up an excellent gameplan all week long.

“Six years of our program, to be able to celebrate a state title is absolutely unbelievable,” Page said. “You just can’t beat that feeling. It will never go away.”

Moreno, who was recently named Kentucky Mr. Basketball, capped off his terrific high school in the only way he imagined. Against Bowling Green, the future Wildcat finished with 24 points (10-11 FG), 15 rebounds, three blocks, and two assists while playing all 32 minutes. Moreno, ultimately named tournament MVP, was aided by 18 points from Morehead State commit Vince Dawson and 15 more from Gage Richardson. Great Crossing shot 58.3 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle 34-19.

The Warhawks finished its season with a 35-4 record and a 27-game winning streak. Moreno recorded a double-double in the final 21 contests.

pic.twitter.com/icORys49E1

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) March 30, 2025

In spite of the loss, Bowling Green left everything on the court. Great Crossing led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter before the Purples caught fire, slicing the deficit to as few as six points down the stretch. But the veteran Warhawks — down starting point guard LJ Holman, who was injured on Friday — found ways to knock down timely shots and keep Bowling Green from pulling off a memorable comeback.

“We just couldn’t get those two stops to get that thing down to four or five points,” Bowling Green head coach DG Sherrill, who led the Purples to a state title victory in 2017, said.

Bowling Green was led by 19 points (7-12 FG) from Kadyn Carpenter. Jace Wardlow (13 points), Joe Hurt (11), and Deuce Bailey (10) rounded out the Purples’ double-figure scorers. Bowling Green only turned the ball over four times on the night, but a 5-18 clip from long range was not nearly enough to overcome Great Crossing’s advantage inside the paint.

“No one expected us to be here, but we all believed in it,” Luke Idlett said postgame while seated next to a few of his longtime teammates. “It just goes to show that we never quit and I’m glad to end it in Rupp in the last game of the tournament with my guys.”

Game Recap

Moreno opened the scoring for Great Crossing by accounting for his team’s first even points. The Warhawks won the opening segment with a 7-6 lead before Bowling Green responded to take an 8-7 advantage. It would be the only lead of the night for the Purples. Great Crossing ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to make it 13-8 going into the second frame.

Four straight points from the Purples cut the deficit to one point early in the second as Moreno was hit with a couple of turnovers. Bowling Green had a chance to go in front but missed a pair of free throws which soon led to a Great Crossing three-pointer. The Purples went cold from there, going just over three minutes without a field goal as Great Crossing jumped out to a 20-13 edge. The Warhawks broke out a 10-0 run right before the half as Bowling Green went on another scoring drought.

At the half, it was 32-17 in favor of Great Crossing. Moreno was leading the way with eight points (3-4 FG), seven rebounds, three blocks, and two assists through one half of action. The Warhawks shot 55 percent from the field while Bowling Green was 0-6 from deep and held to just 27.3 percent shooting overall.

Great Crossing opened the second half on a 9-0 run, capped off by a four-point play from Dawson. The Warhawks’ 24-point lead was the largest of the night, but Bowling Green was able to trim the lead down a bit to make it just a 15-point game with under three minutes left in the third quarter. The Purples continued to push — it was a 52-40 game at the end of the quarter.

Bowling Green wasted no time making it a 10-point game early into the final frame. Great Crossing called a timeout to settle in, but the Purples kept punching and got as close as six points with five minutes to go. The Warhawks countered with a pair of timely buckets though to go back in front by double-digits. At the final media timeout, it was an eight-point advantage for Great Crossing.

But Bowling Green would finally run out of gas from there. Great Crossing hit enough free throws down the stretch to lock up the school’s first-ever Sweet 16 championship.