Grayson County escapes with dramatic 58-50 win over Great Crossing in state tournament quarterfinal

No. 12 Great Crossing (24-12) must surrender its trophy to someone else this year, as No. 11 Grayson County (27-6) ends its glory run with a dramatic 58-50 win over the defending state champions on Friday in Rupp Arena.

After going back and forth all game, Jack Logsdon hit a lead-taking three with three minutes remaining in the Sweet 16 quarterfinals. Caden Gaither punctuated that with a baseline layup to extend their valuable lead to 50-46.

From there, the Cougars hit free throws down the stretch and held on for a 58-50 victory to send them to their first semifinal appearance in school history.

“That’s one of my favorite shots,” Logsdon, a WKU commit, said on his clutch trey. “I practice that shot more than ever, the little hesi pull.”

After being limited to six points on 3-8 shooting in the first three quarters, Logsdon states his confidence kept him ready, as he buried 13 points (8-9 FT) in the final frame alone. He led the Cougars with 19 and added 10 rebounds to tally a double-double.

Grayson Co escapes with 58-50 win over defending champs Great Crossing!

Logsdon clutch 3 to give the Cougars their first semifinal appearance in school history!@KSRonX Sweet 16 coverage pic.twitter.com/Lr3MufkfO1

— SterlingVision (@sterlingvis1) March 20, 2026

However, Grayson County coach Travis Johnston — a player on the Cougars’ last Sweet 16 run in 2009 — considers their MVP to be the small, but mighty, Chase Baunach.

Baunach hit a three-pointer early in the fourth to give the Cougars their first lead, 40-39, since the beginning of the second half.

“We use Chase as a spark guy,” Johnston said. “He’s our enforcer even though he’s about 5-5…His three was really huge, but even so his defense was spectacular. He was the guy that we were sending to double the big kid [6-foot-7 Brady Orem].”

“I’m always smaller than everyone else so I always bring the intensity,” Baunach said.

Jagger Mardis and Spencer Langdon chipped in 10 points each for Grayson County.

For Great Crossing, Brady Orem led them with 19 points. Graham Swartz scored 15, going 3-for-3 from deep and snagging seven rebounds, while Aslam Ismail helped with 10.

In a back-and-forth affair all game long, the game went into halftime with a fitting 24-all tie.

Neither team could separate itself, as nine lead changes and six ties already occurred, with the biggest lead being only five by the Warhawks.

Orem had most of his points at the break with 14, while the Cougars used a more balanced scoring attack, with five players notching at least four points.

Grayson County shot poorly in the first-half, going 2-9 from three, but had four steals and eight points off turnovers, keeping them in the thick of it.

The third quarter is when both teams threw their heaviest punches. The Warhawks went on a 10-0 run, jumping out to a 34-26 lead, only to be erased with a 9-2 Cougar run to make it a one-score game once again.

Words were exchanged after the third-quarter horn, with Great Crossing leading 38-35 into the fourth, but it was Grayson County — which led for less than half as much as the Warhawks (18:47 vs. 7:59 lead time) — who kept the foot on the gas to run off victorious.

“They’re the best fans in the world,” Langdon said, as the Cougar faithful showed an impressive turnout despite the two-hour drive. “That section was full, it’s always full.”

“If there’s any hotel rooms in Lexington they’re probably going to be bought up pretty soon,” Johnston added.

Grayson County faces top-ranked St. Xavier on Saturday (11:00 a.m. EST) at Rupp Arena for a shot at the championship game.

Great Crossing ends their season at 24-12 after advancing in the opening round with a 57-47 win over Danville Christian Academy. The Warhawks’ quest to defend their title lasted further than most people thought, winning the 11th Region with upsets over Lexington Catholic and Frederick Douglass along the way.