Great Crossing fends off Bryan Station rally as Kentucky signee Moreno comes up big late
Just when it looked like Bryan Station would ride a wave of momentum for yet another big second-half comeback, Great Crossing called on its 6-foot-10 wave-breaker to crash the Defenders’ hopes.
Kentucky signee Malachi Moreno scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the No. 2 Warhawks’ harrowing 59-56 win over No. 5 Bryan Station in the first of two 11th Region Tournament boys basketball semifinals on Saturday at Paul Laurence Dunbar’s S.T. Roach Sports Center.
Clinging to a 55-52 lead with three minutes to play, Great Crossing fed Moreno in the post on back-to-back possessions. He got his own rebound to put the Warhawks up 57-52 with 2:49 left. Then, he answered a Bryan Station 3-pointer by Taeshawn Adams with another post-up bucket for a 59-55 lead with 1:23 to go.
Though Moreno had missed seven second-half free throws, Great Crossing coach Steve Page never questioned giving the ball to his big man with the game on the line.
“He’s a McDonald’s All-American. If I don’t trust Malachi Moreno, I’m in the wrong place,” Page said. “You’ve got to play through him. (Bryan Station center Brunley) Fon had four fouls, and we knew if he played him hard, he’d get his fifth foul. So, we decided we’re going to take our chances. … We’ll always believe in (Moreno).”
Moreno credited his team’s defense for the victory. The Warhawks held Bryan Station scoreless over the last minute and got a key contribution from 6-8 freshman forward Brady Orem down the stretch. Orem played the entire fourth quarter and grabbed a defensive rebound on Bryan Station’s next to last possession.
“It was the defense. And the freshman (Orem) stepped it up today,” Moreno said. “When he was in, we were playing really well defensively. When people make differences like that, it’s easier to play offense as well.”
Great Crossing enjoyed two offensive runs in the game that helped it take a 32-26 lead at the break and go up by as many as 10 points twice early in the second half, the last on a Moreno layup from a Vince Dawson assist that put the Warhawks up 40-30 at the 5:30 mark of the third quarter.
But just as they did in their sensational comeback win last week over Frederick Douglass in the 42nd District championship game, the Defenders fought back.
Bryan Station senior reserve Jordan Axsom knocked down a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to start a 9-0 run. It was capped as Axsom grabbed a steal near along the baseline that sent point guard Amari Owens off for a fast-break layup to tie the game 50-50 with 7:10 to play in the game.
“My guys have so much heart,” said Bryan Station coach Champ Ligon, whose team also came back from being down 16 in the second half against Henry Clay late in the season.
The Defenders (25-7) were led by Owens’ 18 points. Adams added eight. Both are juniors.
“We made a couple of mistakes and we missed a couple of really good looks that we could have taken the lead on,” Ligon said. “That’s how it goes, man. We did all the heavy lifting, but you’ve got to make one more play. Unfortunately, tonight, the ball just didn’t go in.”
Midway through Bryan Station’s rally, Dawson, a Morehead signee and Great Crossing’s second-leading scorer, turned his ankle as he tried to back down his defender. Dawson returned after Owens tied the game.
“A little bit of adrenaline going in the fourth quarter got me back out there,” said Dawson, who scored 14 points with five assists and had his right ankle wrapped in ice after the game. “We just stayed level-headed. … I think we got a little caught up (in their run) and that’s what led them to come back, but then we calmed it down.”
Great Crossing (30-4) also got 11 points from sophomore point guard LJ Holman and five assists and eight points from senior Gage Richardson.
Next, the Warhawks will have a chance to defend the region championship against Frederick Douglass at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Warhawks topped the Broncos 78-70 when they met in the regular season on Dec. 13.
Tuesday
Boys 11th Region Tournament championship
At Paul Laurence Dunbar High School’s S.T. Roach Sports Center
7 p.m.: Great Crossing (30-4) vs. Frederick Douglass (25-4)
Tickets: $10 via GoFan app
Streaming: Glicod.com
This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 10:40 PM.
