Great Crossing boys eye unlikely threepeat after beating Lexington Catholic

Steve Page’s granddaughter turns 1 year old Sunday. The Great Crossing boys basketball coach was excited to celebrate with her, but he had a wish of his own ahead of the occasion.

“They’re over at the house and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I hope I don’t get to hang out with you guys much tonight ’cause I’m gonna be scouting,’” Page said.

Wish granted: the Warhawks defeated Lexington Catholic 50-42 on Saturday afternoon in the 11th Region tournament semifinals to advance to their third straight championship game. The two-time defending champs will defend their throne Monday night against Frederick Douglass or Madison Central at Eastern Kentucky University’s Baptist Health Arena.

“Those two have been the best two in the region all year long, but put us in that game and we’ll take our chances,” Page said.

After winning the program’s first state title last March, Great Crossing (22-11) was more of an afterthought to most throughout the 2025-26 season. It was less disrespectful and more a response to the Warhawks’ apparent reality: three of their top four scorers from that championship squad graduated and the fourth, LJ Holman, transferred to Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.

And that team’s best player, reigning Mr. Basketball Malachi Moreno, started for the University of Kentucky against Florida about an hour after the final horn sounded in his alma mater’s win Saturday.

Brady Orem, a sophomore and the Warhawks’ heir apparent to Moreno in the paint, was Great Crossing’s top returning scorer from a year ago (4.4 points per game). His stat line Saturday against the Knights — 19 points, nine rebounds, both game highs — were just about at his averages this season. All but three of his points came in the second half.

Orem was 1 for 6 from the floor with three turnovers through the first 16 minutes. He ended 6 for 13 from the floor, went 7 for 8 at the free-throw line and didn’t lose the ball again.

“Coach during halftime was like, ‘Keep going, keep your head up,” Orem said. “My teammates rely on me and they have confidence in me, so they wanted to keep my spirits up.”

Great Crossing, despite Orem’s struggles, got back into the game after going down 20-13 midway through the second quarter. Following consecutive 3-pointers from LexCath’s Jacob Holland, the Warhawks went on an 11-0 run to briefly take their first lead of the game. The Knights 22-9) closed the half on a 5-0 spurt to go up 25-24.

They only made six more shots the rest of the game. LexCath missed 21 of its 27 shots in the second half, including all eight attempts from behind the 3-point line and their final 10 attempts overall. A layup from Max Meagher, which put the Knights up 39-38 with 5:35 remaining, was their last make of the contest.

Meagher tied the game 40-40 on a free throw with 3:21 left before Great Crossing closed on a 10-2 run.

Orem ignited the Warhawks’ final push with a drive to the hoop and continued it by making two free throws on their next possession. Meagher, the only Knight who finished in double figures (16 points), committed the foul that sent Orem to the line; it was his fifth.

After the Knights missed a 3-pointer on their next trip down the floor but got the rebound, Orem swiftly rejected a putback attempt and the ball went out of bounds off a Knight. It was his second block.

“We didn’t play well. We just couldn’t put the ball in the basket and didn’t play well,” Knights head coach Brandon Salsman said. “They (Great Crossing) did a great job. My hat’s off to them.”

Travanti Cooper (12 points) and Graham Swartz (10) each finished in double figures for the Warhawks, who were without Colt Delimpo, a key ball-handler who was sick. Swartz led all player with three assists.

Lexington Catholic hasn’t played in the boys Sweet 16 since 2015. Great Crossing, just six years older than Page’s granddaughter, soon could make its third in a row.

“Everybody was doubting us and I knew what we had in the locker room,” Orem said. “I knew we would get back to this point, it was just about proving it to the rest of the state.”

Boys 11th Region Tournament

At Eastern Kentucky University’s Baptist Health Arena, Richmond.

Tickets: $10. Streaming: Glicod.com.

MONDAY’S FINAL

7 p.m.: Frederick Douglass (23-6) vs. Great Crossing (22-11).