Malachi Moreno's triple-double fuels Great Crossing to 2nd straight Sweet 16

In front of a buzzing Lexington crowd, history repeated itself. On Tuesday night, the Great Crossing Warhawks did exactly what they did this time last year: win the 11th Region championship inside Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, earning a berth in the Sweet 16 state tournament.

Warhawk players and coaches can thank Kentucky commit Malachi Moreno for pushing them across the finish line. The future Wildcat dropped a triple-double line consisting of 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 blocks on 8-10 shooting. A couple of missed free throws down the stretch by Moreno nearly cost No. 2 Great Crossing (30-4), but bend-don’t-break defense on the other end allowed them to pull past the No. 3 Frederick Douglass Broncos (25-4) by a final score of 59-57.

Great Crossing led by double-digits in the fourth quarter before nearly fumbling the victory down the stretch. Some untimely turnovers by Great Crossing gave Frederick Douglass life in the closing minutes. The Broncos even had a chance to win down two points with just a few seconds remaining, but failed to get off a clean shot.

The separation three-pointer came up short, and now Great Crossing is going to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

“Douglass is a very good team. Number three in the state,” Moreno, who was named MVP of the 11th Region, said afterward. “I give all the credit to them, they gave us a really good game. We just prayed and we hoped we’d win.”

Your MVP of the 11th Region: Malachi Moreno. pic.twitter.com/617MRqNbfH

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) March 12, 2025

Moreno’s 21-point night was complemented by 17 points and seven rebounds from Morehead State commit Vince Dawson. Great Crossing shot 51.2 percent from the field and 5-14 from long range while holding Frederick Douglass to just 33.8 percent shooting overall with a 4-25 mark from deep. Three different Broncos posted double-figure scoring nights, led by 14 points each from DeMarcus Surratt and Aveion Chenault.

Great Crossing controlled the majority of this game, winning the first three quarters. It was a seven-point lead at halftime for the Warhawks. Frederick Douglass made a run early in the third quarter, trimming its deficit down to just one, but couldn’t manage to get over the hump. Nothing was coming easy with Moreno patrolling the paint.

Some late-game drama wouldn’t stun this Great Crossing group though. Moreno and the Warhawks are used to this kind of pressure. They made it all the way to the Sweet 16 semifinals last season before coming up short to Lyon County, led by Kentucky freshman guard Travis Perry. To get there, Great Crossing had to knock off Lexington Catholic in the 11th Region finals at Dunbar, pulling off a stunner at the buzzer to make the school’s first-ever state tournament.

It felt like déjà vu once again Tuesday night. Luckily, the memory held true.

“We were in the same position last year with Lexington Catholic,” Moreno said. “So it’s just like being in the moment all over again. So it really just came down to who wanted it more and who wanted to go to Rupp Arena.”

“I would like to win one of these without stressing the last minute,” Great Crossing head coach Steve Page joked.

Moreno and Great Crossing will have their shot at redemption inside Rupp Arena later this month. Along with top-ranked St. Xavier, those two schools will be expected to meet in the championship. The 2025 UK HealthCare Boys Basketball Sweet 16 runs from March 26-29.