FINAL BATTLE: Great Crossing ends Purples’ quest for state title

Published 11:57 am Sunday, March 30, 2025

By Micheal Compton

LEXINGTON – The Bowling Green boys’ basketball team cleared plenty of obstacles on its way to Saturday’s state championship game against Great Crossing at Rupp Arena.

Since the postseason began Bowling Green won the District 14 on a buzzer beater, held off a strong challenge in the Region 4 title game and survived overtimes in each of the first two rounds of the Boys’ Sweet 16.

The Purples faced one final obstacle in the title tilt, but Great Crossing – specifically center Malachi Moreno – proved to be too big. Bowling Green was never able to find an answer facing off against the 7-0 foot Kentucky signee, falling to the Warhawks 71-61.

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Bowling Green (31-7) nearly mounted an epic second-half comeback, but Moreno ultimately provided the difference with 24 points and 15 rebounds – denying the Purples a chance at the program’s second state title.

“I am just proud of them,” Bowling Green coach D.G. Sherrill said. “I am proud of what they overcame and the naysayers and all this other stuff. They weren’t big enough. Whatever they don’t do well enough. They shut all that down. There are only two of these (trophies) at Bowling Green High School. In 118 years of school there are two of these. We’ve accomplished a lot here.

“Right now it hurts. I told them in the locker room that this hurts because it means something to you. This meant something to these boys and these young men. When we get back and it washes off of them, they will understand what they accomplished.”

Luke Idlett, one of six BG seniors who played their final prep game on Saturday, said it was a great run by the Purples.

“It goes to show our heart and dedication,” Idlett said. “We’ve been through ups and downs this season. Our goal coming into this year was just to get here. No one expected us to be here, but we all believed in it. It goes to show that we never quit. I am glad to end it in Rupp and this last game of the tournament with my guys.”

Moreno made his presence felt immediately with a three-point play and a rebound and dunk to give the Warhawks an early 5-2 advantage.

Bowling Green was able to briefly jump in front 8-7 after two free throws from Kadyn Carpenter, but Great Crossing (35-4) closed the first quarter with six straight to regain a 13-7 advantage.

Four points to open the second trimmed the deficit to one, before a 3-pointer from Gage Richardson made the score 15-11. The Purples were still within striking distance, down 20-15 when Great Crossing opened it up with a 10-0 run.

Two Deuce Bailey free throws stopped the run, but Great Crossing scored in the final seconds to get the lead back to 32-17 at halftime.

The Warhawks opened the second half with nine straight to make the score 41-17 – Great Crossing’s largest lead of the night. A 3 from Carpenter ended the BG drought and the Purples started to chip away, cutting the deficit in half by the end of the third quarter.

“We never quit,” Sherrill said. “We just won’t quit. That’s what I am most proud of. They just keep going. Like the (Energizer) Bunny they keep going and going. They just keep fighting and they never think they are out of it.”

The lead continued to dwindle, with a steal and layup by Carpenter making the score 54-48 with 5:48 left. Great Crossing scored four straight – including a putback by Moreno – to stem the tide. From there the Purples kept getting it down to six, but were unable to get any closer.

“We were down 20 and a lot of teams would have folded it up,” Sherrill said. “We just dug down and found another gear. We just couldn’t get those two stops that we needed to get that thing down to four or five points. We got it down to six one time. We got it down to eight several times. We just couldn’t make those two stops. We kept saying we only needed two more stops to get that thing within three of four points. Get them in a spot where they start trying to do things that maybe they are not built to do.”

Carpenter led the Purples with 19 points. Jace Wardlow had 13 points, Joe Hurt added 11 points and Deuce Bailey finished with 10 points.

Idlett, Bailey and Carpenter were named to the all-tournament team – part of a six-senior class that also included Wardlow, Joe Hurt and Braylon Banks. The seniors accounted for all but one minute of playing time in Saturday’s title game.

Sherrill said this senior class was a special group.

“I told a couple of my coaches today I wrote their names in the book for the last time today and I can’t write them in again,” Sherrill said. “It’s a little emotional because you do this a long time and you get to watch these young men grow up.

“I’m really proud. These are my guys. I love these guys. Congratulations to Great Crossing. I wouldn’t trade locker rooms with anybody right now. These are my guys and they have shown me so much this year. I am so proud of them. I am proud to sit up here with them.”

Moreno finished 10-for-11 from the field for Great Crossing. Vince Dawson added 18 points and Gage Richardson finished with 15 points.

“Tonight was going to be a tall order,” Sherrill said. “If we had one big guy I think we are holding that gold trophy up now, because I think really in a lot of ways we outplayed our opponent in a lot of facets of the game. There was a matchup that we couldn’t neutralize.”

GCHS 13 19 20 19 – 71

BGHS 8 9 23 21 – 61

GC – Moreno 24, Dawson 18, Richardson 15, Orem 8, Mason 4, Cooper 2.

BG – Carpenter 19, Wardlow 13, Hurt 11, Bailey 10, Banks 8.

I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.

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