Malachi Moreno, No. 2 Great Crossing overwhelm Daviess County 69-37 in Sweet 16 first round

On Wednesday, the state’s top-ranked team nearly all season long, the St. Xavier Tigers, was knocked off in surprising fashion during the first round. But a day later, the state’s second-best squad refused to meet the same fate.

Led by Kentucky signee Malachi Moreno, Great Crossing opened its 2025 UK HealthCare Boys Basketball Sweet 16 run inside Rupp Arena with a smooth 69-37 victory over Daviess County in a game that was never truly competitive. The Warhawks were paced by an excellent overall night from Moreno. The seven-footer finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks in 27 minutes of action. He also knocked down a triple from the top of the key.

“Very proud of the kids for coming tonight professional, business-like effort, and locking in,” Great Crossing head coach Steve Page said postgame. “We’ve been preaching it for a couple weeks: Go 1-0 tonight and we’re very proud we did that.”

Malachi Moreno introduced at Rupp.

Wont be the last time either. https://t.co/0nYysCMkFR pic.twitter.com/EiVLpIGWYD

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) March 27, 2025

Great Crossing held a seven-point lead after the end of the first quarter before ballooning that advantage to 19 points by halftime. The Warhawks shot 56.4 percent as a team with a 7-14 mark from beyond the arc. They also dominated the smaller Daviess County on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 37-20.

Morehead State signee Vince Dawson added 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for Great Crossing. Gage Richardson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points on a perfect 3-3 outside shooting. The Warhawks are looking to avenge last season’s loss in the state semifinals to eventual champion Lyon County.

“Last year we came out, we lost,” Moreno said. “So I think this year, we knew what we were coming for. I think just having that second go-around, I think it took away a lot of the pressure we had last year.”

As for Daviess County, the Panthers did not finish how they would have liked, but it was a great season-long run for the 3rd Region’s representative. All five starters scored at least five points, led by 10 from Jaxon Brown. DeAaron Watkins chipped in six points and five rebounds. Daviess County shot just 31.9 percent on the night, including a 3-16 mark from deep.

“They leave an imprint that’s gonna last for a couple more groups now,” Daviess County head coach Neil Hayden said of his seniors. “I think any senior class can impact two or three classes underneath them. These three leave a really good impact on our school, as student-athletes, they’ve invested so much time and worked their tails off to get us in this position.”

With the win, Great Crossing advances to Friday’s quarterfinals where they’ll take on the winner of Thursday night’s final first-round matchup between No. 13 Henderson County and No. 11 Cooper. Tipoff on Friday is set for 8:30 p.m. ET back in Rupp.

Game Recap

Daviess County would strike first with a two-pointer from Jaxon Brown, but it was the only lead of the night for the Panthers. Great Crossing ran off nine straight points to take full control of the momentum. Daviess County was able to prevent the Warhawks from immediately ending this game, but a 15-8 deficit after the first quarter was not a good sign of what was to come. Malachi Moreno, who nailed his only three-point attempt in the opening period, was up to nine points and seven rebounds going into the second quarter.

Great Crossing began to cruise out of the break. An 11-2 start to the period less than three minutes in forced a Panthers’ timeout. Great Crossing was scoring in every way: fastbreaks, inside the paint, beyond the arc — you name it. By halftime, Moreno already had a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. The Warhawks took a commanding 34-15 lead into the intermission.

The start of the third quarter was nothing but Great Crossing. A 12-0 run out of the gate made it a 31-point game with five minutes still to play in the period. But the Warhawks eased off the gas a bit too much down the stretch (seven turnovers didn’t help the cause), allowing Daviess County to close the quarter on a 14-2 run. The Panthers had some juice going into the final frame, but a 19-point hole was too much to overcome.

Daviess County would actually make it a 17-point game early in the fourth before Great Crossing settled back in. Back-to-back triples from Gage Richardson made it a 24-point lead for the Warhawks. Daviess County went on a cold streak, missing seven of eight shots, at the worst time. Both coaches cleared their benches with 70 seconds left as Great Crossing locked up the win and a spot in the quarterfinals.