‘He makes big shots.’ Buzzer-beater sends No. 1 Great Crossing to first Boys’ Sweet 16.

Jared Peck
·4 min read

With his No. 1 Great Crossing Warhawks trailing by three points late in Tuesday night’s 11th Region Tournament championship game, head coach Steve Page saw the emotions on some of his players’ faces.

There were 90 seconds left against No. 2 Lexington Catholic in a sold out S.T. Roach Sports Center at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, and the Knights had the ball after the timeout.

“We had some kids that were a little emotional,” Page said. “They thought they had let it slip through their hands.”

Page admitted he felt it, too.

“That was about the only time I thought it might not be our night, but I had to calm the kids down,” Page admitted. “I was the voice of reason in the huddle.”

Page told them they just needed a stop.

They got a stop. Malachi Moreno blocked Lexington Catholic’s Tyler Doyle on what looked like a wide-open layup that the 7-foot-1 center erased.

Fifty seconds.

On the ensuing possession Great Crossing’s Vince “Tre” Dawson III, who missed his previous three 3-point attempts, got a pass back from Junius Burrell at the top of the key and tied the game at 53-53.

Thirty-two seconds.

Lexington Catholic had the ball with a chance to take the lead back. Sam Smith stepped into an open 3-point shot that missed off the left iron.

Eight seconds.

Moreno gathered in a long defensive rebound and dribbled forward up the sideline.

Five seconds.

Moreno spotted Dawson running alongside and passed it to him as they crossed halfcourt.

Two seconds.

Dawson jumped to a stop three steps outside the 3-point line between two defenders.

One.

“It came off the fingertips good,” Dawson said. “All I could think about was going to Rupp.”

Said Moreno: “I knew it was going in. I just knew it was going to go in.”

As the ball swished through the net, the horn sounded on Great Crossing’s 56-53 win that earned the Warhawks their first 11th Region boys basketball championship and a corresponding berth to next week’s UK Healthcare Boys’ Sweet 16 state tournament at Rupp Arena.

Great Crossing’s Vince Dawson (1) is surrounded by teammates after scoring a basket at the buzzer to beat Lexington Catholic during the boys 11th Region Tournament championship game at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School on Tuesday.
Great Crossing’s Vince Dawson (1) is surrounded by teammates after scoring a basket at the buzzer to beat Lexington Catholic during the boys 11th Region Tournament championship game at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School on Tuesday.
Great Crossing’s Vince Dawson (1) puts up the game-winning three-point shot just before the buzzer on Tuesday night.
Great Crossing’s Vince Dawson (1) puts up the game-winning three-point shot just before the buzzer on Tuesday night.

“He makes big shots,” Page said of Dawson. “That’s what he does. And he made back-to-back big shots there.”

Teammates and students swept Dawson across the floor in celebration. He finished with a team-high 23 points, 16 of that in a second half Great Crossing trailed Lexington Catholic by as many as seven twice. In the first half, the Warhawks trailed by nine. LexCath led 33-28 at half and 43-40 at the end of three quarters.

“I think the turning point was when we started losing by the biggest margin at the end of the first half,” Dawson said. “We went into the locker room and we had some deep talks and we didn’t want the season to be over, so, we came out here and balled.”

Dawson pushed away doubt down the stretch.

“You can’t help but think about that, but nah, we all had faith in the guys and the amount of talented players we have, and it showed,” Dawson said.

Moreno scored 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists playing in front of Kentucky coach John Calipari, one of several Division I college coaches pursuing the standout junior. Burrell added 13 points and had four assists.

“I thought Bishop McConnell (of Arlington, Va.) was our hardest game and that went to triple overtime, but that was the hardest game I’ve ever had to play in my life,” Moreno said of their win over LexCath. McConnell is Great Crossing’s only loss of the season.

Lexington Catholic’s Doyle, a Bellarmine signee, scored a game-high 25 points, 15 of that in a first half Lexington Catholic dominated, especially on the offensive boards. The Knights (32-3) had 15 offensive rebounds to Great Crossing’s six. John Reinhart added 15 points and nailed the 3-pointer that gave Lexington Catholic that 53-50 lead in the fourth quarter.

“Gutsy. Heart and soul,” Lexington Catholic coach Brandon Salsman said of his players. “Our nine seniors deserved better but that’s like life. Sometimes things don’t go your way.”

Next, Great Crossing (34-1) will face 8th Region champion Spencer County (25-9) at 8:30 p.m. on March 20 in Rupp Arena as it continues the quest for a state title. A clutch win over a team considered second-best in the state rates as a pretty good tune-up.

“It gives us all the confidence in the world,” Dawson said. “At this point in the season, it was Rupp or bust.”

Great Crossing’s 7-foot-1 junior Malachi Moreno, right, finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists with Kentucky head coach John Calipari in attendance on Tuesday night. UK is one of numerous basketball powers who have offered scholarships to Moreno.
Great Crossing’s 7-foot-1 junior Malachi Moreno, right, finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists with Kentucky head coach John Calipari in attendance on Tuesday night. UK is one of numerous basketball powers who have offered scholarships to Moreno.

The field is set for the 2024 Boys’ Sweet 16. View the bracket and the complete schedule.