Players of the Liberty High basketball team, from left Joshua Jefferson, Angelo Kambala, DJ Thomas and Aaron Price, take a portrait during the Las Vegas Sun’s High School Basketball Media Day at the Red Rock Resort and Casino, Nov. 1, 2021.
Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022 | 2 a.m.
The Bishop Gorman Gaels basketball team is undefeated on the season and playing for a 10th consecutive state championship.
You could easily make the argument that they are Nevada’s unquestioned best team. That argument, however, doesn’t carry much weight at Liberty.
Liberty last month lost in 97-95 double overtime to Gorman on a shot at the buzzer and senses the outcome could be different in a league game at 6:30 p.m. today at Liberty.
“I would be lying if I said this was another game,” Liberty coach Kevin Soares said. “It’s a game we all want to play in.”
Liberty led by 16 points at halftime in the initial meeting, but faded in the fourth quarter when sophomore guard DJ Thomas fouled out. Gorman outscored Liberty 44-28 in the final eight minutes to bring overtime.
Gorman prevailed when John Mobley drained a jumper from just inside the 3-point line at the buzzer. At the end of the first overtime, the Gaels’ Ryan Abelman extended the game with a 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Soares said the sting of the loss lingered for a few days, as it was over winter break and there was a layoff before another game. But, the coach stresses, “We don’t look at it as a moral victory because we were in control for a majority of the game.”
Forward Joshua Jefferson was the best player on the floor in the first meeting, scoring a game-high 41 points for Liberty. The 6-foot-7 power forward will be a matchup problem in the rematch.
“He does everything for us,” Soares said. “For someone his size to be that skilled at this level gives us an advantage each and every game.”
Liberty is coming off a 20-point win against Coronado — another contender — and expects to have an edge playing in its home gym, where officials are expecting a standing-room only crowd.
They hope to see a rare Gorman loss, as the Gaels have been defeated just once by a Nevada opponent since 2011 during its championship-streak run.
Like Liberty, many have come close. Here’s a look:
Bishop Gorman players celebrate their win over Clark in the state 4A high school championship game at Cox Pavilion, Friday, Feb. 24, 2017.
Clark
Clark had the best chance to end Gorman’s run, blowing an eight-point lead in the final two minutes in the 2017 state championship game.
In the final flurry, everything went right for Gorman and wrong for Clark, who had three straight turnovers against Gorman’s desperation full-court press.
Charles O’Bannon Jr., a McDonald’s All-American, poured in 36 points for Gorman and was unstoppable down the stretch.
“I really can’t explain it. We just didn’t quit,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said at the time.
A month earlier, Clark beat Gorman by six points in a regular season game — Gorman’s lone defeat to an instate opponent since 2011. At the time it snapped a 75-game winning streak against Nevada opponents.
The Clark-Gorman rivalry produced many back and forth games in recent years, including Gorman beating Clark 60-59 in a 2018 regular season game in 2018. The following year, Gorman won in two overtimes.
Bishop Gorman players celebrate after defeating Centennial in the Sunset Regional Final, Friday, Feb. 19, 2016.
Centennial
Centennial had two shots at the buzzer to beat Gorman in the 2016 regional title game, but Gorman escaped with a 71-69 victory. It had trailed Centennial 47-41 at halftime.
Zach Collins, now with the San Antonio Spurs, was the difference in posting 24 points on 11 of 14 shooting, 15 rebounds and eight blocks.
“One more inch and that ball goes in and they win the game,” Rice said of the 3-point attempt at the horn by Centennial’s Jamal Evans.
Gorman also received a stiff challenged from Centennial in 2013. The Stanford-bound twins Malcolm and Marcus Allen had the Bulldogs ahead of Gorman in the fourth quarter before Centennial lost in double overtime.
Coronado's Jaden Hardy (1) lays up the ball during a game against Bishop Gorman at the Cox Pavilion at UNLV Friday, Jan. 24, 2020.
Coronado
If the pandemic didn’t shelf the 2021 season, Coronado arguably would be the defending state champion.
The Cougars had the state’s top player in guard Jaden Hardy, who despite the season being canceled was still tabbed for the McDonald’s All-American game. They also had guard Frankie Collins, a four-star recruit who signed with Michigan.
Hardy, who is now playing in the NBA developmental league, averaged 30.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game as a junior in 2019-20 to win the Gatorade Player of the Year Award.
With Hardy leading the charge, Coronado lost by three points in 2019 to Gorman and again kept the score close the following season.
