Friday Night Hoops: Great Crossing Holds Off Madison Central
Entering Friday night, the story of Great Crossing’s 14-3 season has been the play of 6’11” sophomore Malachi Moreno, brother of Eastern Kentucky junior Michael Moreno. In the Warhawks’ 17 games this season, the four-star center is averaging a double-double (15.0 PPG, 11.2 RPG). By the end of the night, however, the big story would be about sophomore Vince Dawson.
Dawson made history in Friday night’s matchup, becoming the first player in the history of the Great Crossing program to score 1,000 points.
“It’s huge,” said Dawson, gripping onto his benchmark ball. “It means a lot. I appreciate my teammates and my coaches for helping me along the way.”
Madison Central entered its daunting matchup against the fifth-best team in the state (according to KSR’s latest Kentucky High School Basketball Top 25 Rankings) in somewhat of a downward spiral.
After knocking off then #1 ranked Warren Central 60-43 in the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic, the Indians would lose their next two matchups in the tournament. They would go on to achieve victories over Dunbar, Montgomery County & Henry Clay in their next three games, but were trounced by Ashland Blazer 81-68 just a few days ago. After their second-leading scorer Hagan Harrison announced that he would no longer be playing basketball earlier this month, the Indians haven’t been the same squad since.
First Half Action
The Indians opened Friday night’s matchup hot, jumping out to a 9-4 lead. Head coach Allen Feldhaus Jr. and his staff devised a great game plan to limit Moreno’s touches, but this just allowed open shots for Dawson and sophomore Junius Burrell. Burrell, Great Crossing’s feisty point guard, repeatedly burned the Madison Central defense for wide-open layups and jumpers.
A rim-rocking dunk by Central senior Jayden West and a three-point bomb from senior Jaylen Davis extended their lead to eight three minutes into the second quarter. West, a strong 6’3” combo guard, plays an extremely effortless game. Davis, a lanky 6’5” wing, is one of the smoothest players in the state of Kentucky. Although the Central seniors were providing some great play early, they couldn’t hold off the Warhawks for much longer.
Great Crossing would go on a 14-2 run heading into the break, taking the lead by four at halftime. Burrell had his fingerprints all over the run, as he seemed to have scored or assisted on nearly all 14 of these points. The ‘Hawks kept up this momentum out of the break, as they went up 10 following Dawson’s eighth point of the night.
Warhawks Pull Away
Dawson’s 1,000-point basket with 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter pushed the Warhawk lead all the way to 15. Two Madison Central threes with a minute to go cut the deficit to single digits, but an and-one layup by junior Jeremiah Godfrey all but sealed this one up.
“We stayed composed when we went down in the first quarter. This showed maturity and that we’ve grown up,” Dawson said of his team’s fight and will to win. “Last year, things may have gone a little differently.”
Dawson led the Warhawks in scoring with 18 points, followed by 15 from Burrell. Moreno finished with just seven points. West (20) & Davis (19) would combine for 39 of Madison Central’s 53 points scored.
The Warhawks improve to 15-3 and hold four wins over teams currently ranked in KSR’s latest Kentucky High School Basketball Top 25 Rankings. They now look towards their matchup at Western Hills next Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Madison Central falls to 8-8, sitting right at .500 with just over a month remaining in the season. They will turn around and play Wayne County in the 11th vs 12th Region Classic Saturday at 5:45 PM. They certainly don’t look like the team that ran Warren Central off the court back in late December.
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