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No. 1 Liberty outlasts No. 2 Bishop Gorman at the buzzer — PHOTOS

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No. 1 Liberty outlasts No. 2 Bishop Gorman at the buzzer — PHOTOS


Liberty and Bishop Gorman’s boys basketball teams added another thrilling chapter to the powerhouse high school programs’ rivalry Friday night.

Every point mattered in a 32-minute battle, but the Patriots prevailed to remain in first place.

Senior Dante Steward scored 19 points for Liberty and the Patriots, ranked No. 1 in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, held on for a 58-56 home win over No. 2 Gorman after Kameron Cooper’s 3-pointer at the buzzer missed.

“We’re excited,” first-year Liberty coach Keith Ulrich said. “Anytime you could beat Bishop Gorman as a public high school, it’s a special moment. It doesn’t get done often in the city of Las Vegas. We had some great energy before the game in anticipation of it and some really good energy after the win and getting it done.”

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The win keeps Liberty (19-5, 6-0 5A Southern League) in first place in the standings entering the final week of the regular season. The Patriots could clinch the league regular-season title and No. 1 seed in February’s 5A state tournament with a win over Henderson rival and third-place Coronado on Monday night at Liberty.

On Friday, Steward’s layup with 1:15 remaining gave Liberty a 57-52 advantage. Gorman’s Tyler Bright answered with a 3-point play to cut the deficit to two points with a minute to play.

Twice, Gorman (15-9, 5-1) had opportunities to tie the game in the closing seconds, but Tyler Johnson missed a layup with 15 seconds left and Bright went 1-of-2 at the free-throw line with nine seconds left.

Holding a 57-56 lead, Liberty’s Tyus Thomas made 1 of 2 free throws with 5.7 seconds left. After he made the second foul shot, Gorman’s Dino Roberts raced up the floor and threw it to an open Cooper, whose deep 3-pointer hit the back of the iron and Liberty escaped with the win.

“(Gorman went to a zone defense), which we knew was a possibility, so our zone offense took us a while to get really acclimated into what we need to do and how we need to attack it,” Ulrich said. “We’re at our best when we’re playing fast. The zone kind of slowed us down, so it took us a while to really settle in and be able to execute and make shots.”

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Steward led a balanced Liberty scoring attack and added six rebounds and three assists. After Liberty led the entire first half, Gorman went ahead 40-38 with three minutes left in the third quarter. But Steward hit consecutive 3-pointers, which gave the Patriots a 44-42 lead entering the fourth.

“Dante’s been great,” Ulrich said. “He showed up at 6 in the morning for workouts and it was just laser focus. It was almost like he had been waiting for this game for four years. (It’s) his senior year and an opportunity to get a win against Gorman on the home floor. He was not only good offensively, but it was his best defensive game and his best rebounding game of the year.

“We needed every single one of (those points), obviously.”

Tayshawn Caesar added 18 points and five rebounds for Liberty, which led 29-27 at halftime, and Thomas scored 13 points.

“Tayshawn Caesar was really good today,” Ulrich said. “He had some big shots for us and some nice scoring drives against their defense.”

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Bright finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Johnson scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half for the Gaels.

Liberty will have a short turnaround to prepare for a talented Coronado team that is another threat among the top three teams in the standings for the state title.

“We knew we had a senior-heavy, experienced team back in August when school started,” Ulrich said. “What makes this group special is not only that they’re talented, but they play as a team and they have each other’s back. They bought into the culture and supporting each other and you can’t win games against Bishop Gorman unless you do that.”

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

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Nevada high school football head coach steps down

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Nevada high school football head coach steps down


Mojave (Nev.) head football coach Wes Pacheco announced on Sunday morning that he’s stepping down from his position, according to a social media post.

Pacheco announced his resignation after six seasons at the helm of the Rattlers, putting together a 29-22 overall record from 2020-2025.

“I have officially stepped down as Head Coach of the Mojave Football Program,” Pacheco said in his social media post. “Thank you to Principal Cole for giving me the opoortunity make an impact on the lives of Mojave Student-Athletes. I am grateful and blessed to have labored through a 6-year journey of successes, failures, life lessons, character building and growth with the student-athletes myself and my coaching staff have served. I will forever love my Mojave Family, the Mojave Community and believe in the notion that SUCCESS can be attained by showcasing character, treating everyone with respect, and always have the courage to dream big and trust that “ATTACKING THE HARD WORK” & “HIGH MOTORING EVERYTHING” can yield SUCCESS that you want to achieve in life!”

During Pacheco’s half dozen seasons leading Mojave, his best record came in the 2024 season when the Rattlers finished with a 12-1 record. Located out of North Las Vegas, Mojave had to compete against the likes of national high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman during the regular season.

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Mojave ended the last season with a 4-6 record and as the state’s No. 23rd ranked team, according to the final 2025 Nevada High School Football Massey Rankings.

More about Mojave High School

Mojave High School, located in North Las Vegas, NV, is a dynamic public high school that fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and community involvement. Home of the Rattlers, MHS offers a wide range of academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities. With a strong commitment to student success, Mojave emphasizes leadership, college and career readiness, and a supportive school culture that prepares students for life beyond graduation.

For Nevada high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Silver State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across Nevada.



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IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada

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IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada


A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.

Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.

What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.

The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.

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So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.

I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.

Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.

Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.

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Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS

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Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS