Basketball Game Preview: Liberty Patriots vs. Bishop Gorman Gaels

The Liberty Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Bishop Gorman Gaels at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Liberty is coming into the game on a three-game losing streak.

Liberty is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Desert Pines, who was ranked 22nd at the time (Liberty was ranked 17th). Liberty fell to Desert Pines 44-39.

The losing side was boosted by Satsuki Bradley, who posted 12 points along with five assists and four steals. Another player making a difference was Brylee Christensen, who scored five points and nine rebounds.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bishop Gorman, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Clark 51-7. The Gaels have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 matches by 20 points or more this season.

Liberty better keep an eye on Mirandah Buch. She was instrumental in Bishop Gorman's win, going 7 of 15 on her way to 20 points in addition to five boards and four steals. The dominant performance gave Buch a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Savannah Searcy, who put up eight points and 12 rebounds.

Bishop Gorman's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-7. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 24.3 points over those games. As for Liberty, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-10.

Liberty took a serious blow against Bishop Gorman when the teams last played last Friday, falling 63-32. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Bishop Gorman's Addysen Carr, who went 8 for 9 en route to 20 points. Now that Liberty knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.