Down six late in regulation, Patriots stun Gaels behind big plays from Joshua Jefferson, Dedan Thomas to take 5A crown and prevent history.
Bidding for a national record 10th straight state title,
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) was denied Saturday by a determined bunch from
Liberty (Henderson), which posted a heart-stopping 63-62 overtime victory in the Nevada Class 5A championship game.
Led by 6-foot-9 post
Joshua Jefferson (16 points, seven rebounds) and sophomore guard
Dedan Thomas (20 points) the Patriots (22-4) fought back from a late 52-46 deficit and outscored the Gaels (30-1) 8-2 down the stretch. A layup by
Kaeden Castillero went in for Liberty but it was after the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra period, Thomas hit a jumper and
Angelo Kambala made a tough contested layup to go up 60-56. Gorman got a 3-pointer from
Darrion Williams (18 points, eight rebounds, but another layup from Thomas and free throw by
Andre Porter made it 63-59 with 27.9 seconds left.
John Mobley Jr. (20 points) drilled a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left for Bishop Gorman, which after a timeout, forced a turnover. Senior guard
Ryan Abelman stole the inbound pass, took one dribble, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer was short and Liberty celebrated wildly.
It was understandable. The Patriots had lost three previous games this season to Bishop Gorman and also snapped the Gaels' 41-game win streak dating back to 2020.
"Just wow," Thomas told Las Vegas Review-Journal after the game. "This feeling is surreal. ... To feel this moment is amazing."
This was the second time in recent history that Liberty snapped a prominent Bishop Gorman streak. In 2019, Liberty's football team ended Gorman's 10-year streak of state championships and 115-game win streak against Nevada opponents with a
30-24 regional final victory.
Bishop Gorman entered tied for the national record of nine straight also held by now-defunct
St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) under legendary head coach Bob Hurley from 1983 to 1991.
The Gaels have won 22 NIAA basketball state titles with the first coming in 1962. Current head coach Grant Rice has led the program to 13 of those crowns since taking over in 2001. The Gaels have compiled an overall record 277-45 over the last 10 years.
This season, Bishop Gorman knocked off programs from Arizona, California, Illinois, Kentucky and Texas. It was trying to become Rice's first unbeaten championship team.
Before Saturday, Gorman defeated Liberty three previous games this season, including 97-95 in double overtime on Dec. 21. The Gaels also prevailed 80-71 on Jan. 27 and 77-61 last week.
