Liberty only beat Bishop Gorman once in four tries, but it came in an overtime classic that netted the Patriots their first boys basketball state championship.
Boys Basketball
Liberty boys basketball coach Kevin Soares is the Nevada Preps All-Southern Nevada Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to their first state title.
Liberty’s Joshua Jefferson averaged 17.7 points and 10 rebounds in his senior season and led the Patriots to the Class 5A state title with an upset win over Bishop Gorman.
Centennial’s Karen Weitz, the winningest coach in Nevada basketball history, has added the title of boys coach to the dynasty she has built with the girls program.
Here is the All-Southern Nevada boys basketball team. Liberty’s Kevin Soares is the Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to the Class 5A state championship.
Freshman Christopher Shaw scored 26 points to power young and tenacious Mojave to a victory over Spring Valley for the school’s first boys state basketball championship.
Liberty shocked Bishop Gorman in overtime to win the Class 5A boys state basketball championship, ending the Gaels’ nine-year run of titles and their bid to finish undefeated.
Jake Bevacqua scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half as The Meadows, which has only two seniors on its team, coasted to the Class 2A boys state title in Reno.
Roman Rose scored 22 points, and the Boulder City boys were outscored by Fernley 15-3 in the third quarter but came back to reach the Class 3A state championship game.
Spring Valley and Mojave rolled to victories in the Class 4A boys state basketball semifinals Friday at Cox Pavilion and will play for the championship Saturday.
Bishop Gorman cruised past Spanish Springs and Liberty whipped Douglas, and they will meet for the fourth time — with the Class 5A state basketball title on the line.
Joshua Valencia scored 21 points and David Thurman 16 to lead GV Christian to an easy win in the Class 1A boys state basketball tournament Thursday at Cox Pavilion.
Bishop Gorman, 29-0 and favored to win its 10th consecutive state basketball championship, will play Spanish Springs on Friday in the Class 5A tournament in Reno.
The Class 4A boys and girls state basketball tournaments will be played this weekend, and it’s a chance for new champions to be crowned with two perennial powerhouses in 5A.
UNLV, LSU and Washington State have extended scholarship offers to Liberty sophomore point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., and he said Arizona, UCLA and Stanford also are interested.