LEXINGTON – Twelve days of Christmas hadn’t yielded any gifts in the win column for Great Crossing boys’ basketball, so a change or two in the starting lineup was overdue Sunday afternoon.
One of those hunches paid – a junior just off the injured list who had played roughly two varsity minutes all season – didn’t pay immediate dividends in the box score.
Until you looked at the other half, that is. In 17 minutes of action, Noade Day anchored an all-day shutout of West Jessamine star Gavin Murphy, signed with Western Kentucky University, and set the foundation for a 70-46 win at Bueter Gym.
“We planned to make some changes in the lineup. Different energy,” GC coach Steve Page said. “I knew 2 (Murphy) was kind of the key to their team, and Noade is probably our best on-ball defender.”
West Jessamine’s two leading scorers on the season, Murphy and 6-foot-10 center Luk Tut, were a combined 0-for-8 from the field.
Tut, silenced by foul trouble and the Warhawks’ Brady Orem, scored the duo’s only point on a second-half free throw.
Day and sophomore Colt Delimpo both made spot starts one day after a loss to Caverna dropped Great Crossing (4-6) into the consolation bracket of the White Greer Maggard Holiday Classic at Lexington Classic.
“After I went home (Saturday) night and spent my evening re-watching how we played, I kind of had a heart-to-heart with the kids in the locker room before the game,” Page said. “I told them I’ve been allowing kids to do stuff that’s not our standard.”
Orem nearly hit his season averages on the nose with 22 points and nine rebounds.
Others responded with needed spikes in performance. Ozzy Ismail played arguably his best game of the early season with 16 points and six rebounds. Graham Swartz magnified his 10 points with four rebounds and four steals.
Six different Warhawks connected from 3-point range, with two bombs each from Orem and Delimpo.
Great Crossing never trailed while ending a four-game losing streak, its longest since January 2021.
“The kids needed it. They needed a victory,” Page said. “We know we have the opportunity to be a good team. We just have to do the little things that have been turning into big things (against) us.”
JT Messick led West Jessamine (6-3) with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting.
In addition to Murphy and Tut, the Hawks held the other two double-digit scorers in the Colts’ lineup, Kaden Floyd (nine points, seven rebounds, four assists) and Sawyer Thornton (seven points on 3-for-10 accuracy), below their norms.
Day’s contribution to the smothering effort far exceeded his one basket, four rebounds and single steal.
“He just came back, got cleared before Cathedral (Tuesday),” Page said. “We thought we’d give him an opportunity. Obviously the (Murphy) kid’s committed to Western, and he held him to zero points.”
GC got rolling early on threes by Delimpo and Ismail.
Thornton scored all seven of his points in the first period to keep West Jessamine afloat, but put-backs late in the period by Ismail and Orem provided the Hawks a 16-9 advantage.
Those baskets started a streak of a baker’s dozen that carried into the second stanza. Orem punctuated the run with a 3-pointer after Delimpo hit the deck for a loose ball and found Travanti Cooper II as middle man.
Another corner three by Delimpo and a baseline drive/wraparound lay-up from Ismail crested the first-half lead at 30-13 before Messick, Floyd and Jack Nieves led the Colts’ comeback to 33-27 at the half.
“I was disappointed to end the first half 14-3 after being up 30-13, but I told them we were back to making losing plays,” Page said. “We did that at the end of the second quarter when we took a couple of quick shots.”
West Jessamine also delivered the first punch after intermission when Messick scored via the offensive glass. Orem’s 3-pointer, then a blocked shot and run-out by Swartz, put the Warhawks back in gear.
It was still a two-possession game when Floyd grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a jumper to make it 44-39 with three minutes left in the third. Consecutive threes by Cooper and Swartz lit the fuse on GC’s getaway.
“We got it slowed back down, ran some motion and kind of ran the clock until we got what we wanted late in the game,” Page said. “But it was all about our defense.”
Great Crossing turned West Jessamine’s 14 turnovers into 22 points while committing only five miscues of its own.
It was the signature team win so far. Seven players played at least 10 minutes, and eight different Warhawks scored, including late-game subs Colton Pensinger and Stan Miller.
“We just need to be us. Take good shots, play hard, play for each other, and good things will happen,” Page said. “It’s only one game, so we can’t assume we turned the corner yet. (Monday) will be another big game for us to really turn the corner, but at the same time, we’re excited about today.”
Great Crossing takes on Marshall County in its farewell to the tournament at 1:30 p.m.
The Hawks then enjoy eight days off before returning to 41st District play at Franklin County on Tuesday, Jan. 6.