3 prep basketball games at Big City Showdown with playoff implications

Winter break is over. So are all the holiday and nonconference tournaments.

The focus of high school basketball teams around the city to begin to make a run for a state championship has heightened this week.

Several of the top Class 5A basketball programs will play at the Big City Showdown on Saturday at Coronado High School.

The seven-game event begins with Basic and Las Vegas High at 10:30 a.m., as many teams will face off against league opponents in possible postseason matchups.

Here are three games to watch at the Big City Showdown:

1. Bishop Gorman vs. Centennial girls, 6:15 p.m.

Possibly the best game on the slate will feature the past two 5A girls state champions, two of the state’s winningest coaches and two of the top girls college recruits.

Bishop Gorman (12-1, 1-0 5A Southern League) and Centennial (8-3, 1-0) will have their regular-season meeting in the Big City Showdown for the third straight year. Centennial edged Gorman last year 41-39 on its way to the 5A state title.

Gorman, ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps, remains the only team not named Centennial to win a state title in the top classification since 2015, when the Gaels knocked off Centennial for the 2024 title.

Two of the top college prospects in the country will share the floor in Gorman’s Aaliah Spaight and Centennial’s Nation Williams. Spaight, a senior guard, is committed to Texas, and Williams, a four-star forward, is the No. 11 class of 2027 prospect by 247Sports with more than 25 Division I offers.

Legendary Centennial coach Karen Weitz picked up her 800th career win last month. Gorman coach Sheryl Krmpotich is fourth on the all-time state wins list with 530.

2. Coronado vs. Bishop Gorman boys, 8 p.m.

The day ends with another edition of the rivalry between Bishop Gorman (10-7, 1-0 5A Southern League) and Coronado (6-6, 1-0) in what could be a state title game preview.

Coronado has defeated Gorman in the regular season each of the past two seasons, including 62-56 in last year’s Big City Showdown. But the Cougars haven’t had the postseason success, losing to Gorman in the 2024 state title game and getting upset in the first round of last year’s state tournament as the No. 1 seed.

This year’s edition of Coronado could be one of its most talented teams, as the program looks to win its first boys state basketball title.

The Cougars are led by four-star junior guard Munir Greig (15.7 points per game), Missouri State commit Amare Oba (13.3 points) and four-star sophomore DeVaughn Dorrough (10.5 points, 8.3 rebounds).

Gorman is the two-time defending state champion. The Gaels are led by guard Ty Johnson, three-star forward Kameron Cooper and forward Tyler Bright.

3. Desert Pines vs. Liberty boys, 4:30 p.m.

Desert Pines (11-5, 0-1) and Liberty (12-5, 1-0) have emerged as two contenders that could challenge Gorman and Coronado. Saturday’s game will have a significant impact on playoff seeding in the eight-team 5A state tournament.

Three-star senior guard Tyus Thomas, the younger brother of former UNLV guard DJ Thomas, is leading Liberty in scoring (15.4 points) and with 4.2 assists per game.

Thomas played his first two seasons with Liberty, spent last season playing in Arizona and returned to the Patriots this year.

Desert Pines has one of the top scorers in the state in sophomore Aaron McMorran (24.9 points, 7.4 rebounds). The Jaguars reached the state semifinals last year before falling to Gorman.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.