Great Crossing boys basketball shrugs off early losses and an unexpected departure
Great Crossing’s boys basketball team has strung together eight straight wins since its December travails included four losses in three states.
The streak has helped the Warhawks (16-4) retain their No. 2 ranking in the Kentucky Boys High School Basketball Media Poll and has included a couple of close calls along the way.
But it also included the unexpected departure of senior point guard Junius Burrell following the defending 11th Region champion’s Jan. 9 win against Madison Central.
“At least it happened in January,” Great Crossing coach Steve Page said of Burrell leaving the team. “It happened like three or four hours before we played (Indianapolis) Cathedral, so that was a heck of a win, honestly, without him.”
In Burrell’s absence, sophomore LJ Holman stepped into the playmaking role and scored 17 points against Indiana No. 3 Cathedral at Thomas More University in Crestview. Holman knocked down a pair of late free throws to seal an 89-88 overtime win.
On Saturday, Holman had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 59-50 home victory against 9th Region contender Lloyd Memorial.
“LJ’s stepping up, man,” Great Crossing senior guard Vince Dawson said. “He’s playing the point guard at a really high level in such short notice. Everybody’s just finding their role and figuring it out.”
Lloyd Memorial (11-5), which features 6-foot-8 South Carolina signee EJ Walker, battled Great Crossing to a 44-44 tie midway through the fourth quarter.
The combination of Kentucky signee Malachi Moreno’s defense and Morehead State signee Dawson’s offense helped put the game away down the stretch. One of five Moreno blocks led to a transition 3-pointer by Dawson to cap an 8-0 Warhawks run for a 52-44 lead with 2:12 to go in the game.
Moreno finished with a game-high 22 points and 14 rebounds. Dawson chipped in 20 points. Lloyd’s Walker was held to 12 points and five rebounds. Isaiah Sebastian led the Juggernauts with 18 points.
Despite the December losses, Dawson feels good about how the Warhawks have played.
“It’s been pretty crazy, but they’ve been great experiences,” Dawson said. “There was only one game that we probably couldn’t have won. Every other game we felt like we should have won and came close to winning. We feel like we can compete with pretty much anybody.”
Great Crossing got blown out by Miami’s Christopher Columbus on Dec. 19 and suffered another loss at the City of Palms event in Florida the next day. Two weeks later, the Warhawks fell 65-61 to Washington, D.C.’s St. John’s College in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Amid the win streak since, senior forward Gage Richardson knocked down a buzzer-beating heave to defeat Bellaire, Texas, 64-63 in the Lone Star State on Jan. 4.
As for Burrell, Dawson acknowledged the team would like to have him back, and Page said it could be considered. But the coach held out little hope. A fifth-year senior, Burrell was averaging 7.6 points per game this season and had amassed more than 1,500 points for his career.
“LJ is very capable of handling the point position, so we’re confident,” Page said. “It’s been an adjustment this week, but we think, ultimately, we’re going to be fine. If we don’t win state, if we don’t win the 11th Region, it’s not going to be because he left. It’s going to be because a team beat us.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2025 at 9:52 AM.
