Nevada
3 Big City Showdown takeaways: Coronado a 5A state title favorite
Saturday’s Big City Showdown at Coronado mirrored that of college football’s Separation Saturday for high school basketball teams in Southern Nevada.
The seven-game event was highlighted by a trio of games featuring the state’s top four boys basketball teams and two best girls basketball teams.
When the final buzzer sounded Saturday night, the playoff races became a bit clearer.
Here are three takeaways from the Big City Showdown:
1. Coronado serious contender
Coach Jeff Kaufman’s celebration might have been a little subdued after the Cougars’ 74-63 win over Bishop Gorman, the first win in program history over the Gaels, since it’s still January.
But the Cougars showed that they have a chance to check off another first for the program: winning a state championship.
“I’m happy to get the win. It feels great that it was against (Gorman),” Kaufman said. “It’s good, but we still have a long way to go. It’s just one game.”
Coronado relied heavily on its starting lineup against Gorman, with all five starters scoring in double figures. Lantz Stephenson scored 21 points, and Josiah Cunningham added 19. Jonny Collins poured in 13 points, and Tee Bartlett and JJ Buchanan each added 10 points.
Kaufman praised his starters, calling them “tough” and “versatile” in the win against Gorman, but acknowledged there’s still room for improvement in what’s shaping up to be another close battle for the Class 5A state title.
“Hopefully by February, we’re fixing those problems and we can handle those teams,” Kaufman said. “There are a lot of good teams we have to contend with, and I’m sure we’re going to see Gorman again.”
2. Liberty gets revenge
Simply put, Liberty didn’t defend well in its 67-53 loss to Arbor View in a tournament game Dec. 22, coach Kevin Soares said, which was the Patriots’ only loss entering Saturday.
When the teams faced off for their regular-season league meeting, Liberty’s defense stood tall, holding Arbor View scoreless for a 4:30 stretch in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 62-50 win.
“The first time we played, we let (Arbor View) do whatever they wanted. They ran whatever they wanted on offense,” Soares said. “This time, we got them out of running their offensive sets, and it worked out pretty well.”
The Patriots, No. 1 in the Review-Journal’s 5A rankings, went on an 11-0 run during Arbor View’s drought and made 15 fourth-quarter free throws to pull out the win. Sophomore Tyus Thomas scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth.
Thomas has taken over the reins as Liberty’s point guard from his older brother, UNLV point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. The recent play from Tyus Thomas can help Liberty make a run to try and win its second 5A state title in three seasons.
“He knows when to take his shot, drive to the basket and get everybody else involved,” Soares said. “He’s playing excellent basketball.”
3. Still Centennial
If there was a year the Centennial girls basketball team’s run of dominance would come to an end, this season looked like the time.
Instead, with 5A as deep as it’s ever been and Centennial down some key contributors, the Bulldogs made a statement that they are still the team to beat after their 68-57 win over previously top-ranked Bishop Gorman.
“There’s competition right now in the city, and it’s growing. That’s fun and it’s nice,” coach Karen Weitz said. “You have to embrace it, and that’s what we want to do.”
Centennial has won the last eight state titles in the top classification. A defeat to Gorman on Feb. 13, 2014, was the last time the Bulldogs lost a league game.
Freshman Nation Williams, who holds notable Division I offers from Tennessee, North Carolina, UCLA, Florida and Arizona, has already emerged as one of the top players in the state. The Bulldogs recently welcomed back Cici Ajomale, a Cal State Fullerton commit, who was one of three starters who tore their ACLs in the offseason.
“We don’t want to play games where we’re not challenged every time. …. I want to play the best every night,” Weitz said. “I want to play against people that are going to make us better, and that’s what we loved about playing (Gorman) tonight.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Nevada
Raiders Nevada Mental Health Gala Greatly Successful
The Las Vegas Raiders have orchestrated many groundbreaking moves this offseason, but none as important as the impact they made at a fundraising event.
Over the weekend, the Raiders hosted the Silver & Black Gala, raising $2.5 million for mental health in Nevada. Sunday marked the third time the organization had hosted the event, which has produced a tremendous turnout.
Several individuals spoke during the event, including Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and president Sandra Douglass Morgan, who each highlighted the importance of acknowledging mental health.
Davis’ Thoughts
- “We’re here to raise money for mental health, which is one of the most important things we can all deal with,” Davis said. “Every one of us is impacted by mental health and our families, friends, or anywhere else, we are all directly affected. That’s why it’s so critical to raise money for our community. We’re grateful for you all, and appreciate you being here.”
Morgan’s Thoughts
“Mental health remains one of the most urgent issues across Nevada,” Morgan said. “Through the Silver & Black Gala, the Raiders Foundation is helping expand access to trusted, community-based resources that meet people where they are. This year’s recipients reflect the depth and complexity of that work, supporting our community in schools, clubhouses, homes, shelters, and family systems statewide.”
The Raiders also honored former player Carl Nassib and NFL broadcaster Jay Glazer on Sunday night as the winners of the Commitment to Excellence award. Here is what each of them had to say.
Glazer’s Thoughts
- “First, this is incredible what the Raiders are doing,” Glazer said. “God blessed me with the ability to communicate, so I’m going to use that to try and help other people. When we’re willing to share our scars, we turn them into strength—into something that connects us as teammates with nothing to hide. That’s what builds a true team, a championship team. I’m proud to stand with you and be part of this team tonight.”
Nassib’s Thoughts
- “It is truly a privilege to be up here,” Nassib said. “We’re creating space for people to be vulnerable—and that work is truly lifesaving. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up and reminding people they’re not alone.”
Overall Thoughts
This has been a tremendous event over the last few years, and the Raiders’ organization has done a great job of raising awareness for mental health. This will be an event that the team will continue to host in the future.
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Nevada
Nevada workers fear homelessness as housing, jobs vanish before July deadline | Fox News Video
The final casino resort in Primm, Nevada, will close this summer after years of declining tourism, ending gaming operations in the once-busy border town and putting hundreds of employees out of work.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is shutting down its remaining hotel and casino operations in July as experts point to increased competition, changing travel habits and post-pandemic losses behind the decline.
Nevada
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is in a strong position heading into the thick of his 2026 reelection bid — a huge war chest, almost universal name recognition and strong favorability numbers among the electorate.
Though Lombardo is likely focusing on the general election already, he faces 6 longshot candidates in the GOP primary seeking to upset him in June.
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
The challengers face a ‘Herculean’ task, said Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, an Arizona-based nonpartisan pollster focusing on the Southwest region.
“I see it as a Herculean task for anyone. If someone was coming in with like, I don’t know $10 million or something to spend, sure I can see that might be competitive, but I don’t see any of them coming anywhere near close to that. And so again, I just think I think it’s a non-factor at this point,” Noble said.
RELATED | Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast: Early Noble poll shows dead heat in governor’s race
Despite the long odds, News 4-Fox 11 reached out to all candidates requesting an interview as part of our commitment to 2026 election coverage and our Know Your Candidates series. Three of the 7 running interviewed with us — Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Lombardo and Jose Zelaya did not respond to multiple emails requesting an interview.
We asked them similar questions about Gov. Lombardo’s leadership as governor, how they would pass a balanced budget and whether they support taxpayer subsidies for sports teams or major projects.
Click the candidate’s name to watch their full interview. Quotes below have been edited for space and clarity.
Donald J. Beaudry Jr. is an entrepreneur who founded BlkEdgeAi, a financial technology firm specializing in AI-driven trading systems and market strategy, according to his campaign website.
He told News 4-Fox 11 that Nevada has been drifting the last four years with ‘no captain, no vision.’ He believes his Wall Street-like trading market called NGEX (Nevada Global Exchange) would generate enough revenue to eliminate sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes and vehicle registration fees.
“I completely blueprinted it out and calculated that this model could generate enough revenue in this state that we could eliminate all the state taxes and fees that are currently in place and use that as the revenue source for the state and make everybody, every man, woman and child throughout Nevada, a shareholder in the dividends of that exchange … it would be a kind of Wall Street type of stock market, but far broader, more advanced, and exponentially more profitable.”
Matthew Rian Winterhawk is the founder of SmartSlaps foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools and students with civic engagement and community responsibility.
If elected, he described going through a DOGE-like review of the state budget to determine which areas can be cut or kept depending on their ‘dollar to impact’ ratio.
“What I would like to do is go through every department, I’m talking top to bottom, from here from the primary to the beginning. We will cut every piece of administrative bloat across the system … I need more money for my teachers. Teachers never see it, students never see it, the impact never reaches the classroom. It’s 100% administrative bloat.”
The son of immigrants, Barak Zilberberg is now an entrepreneur and real estate investor based in Las Vegas. He ran for governor in 2022, earning 0.2% of the vote in the GOP primary. He told News 4-Fox 11 he’s also running for President in 2028.
He said he’s running for governor to improve the educational system, bring jobs to Nevada and open up federal land to build more affordable housing.
“We’ve got get high-speed railing systems in here where we can transit very easily, efficiently, and basically moving around between economies of both cities. Not only that, I’d like to bring Disneyland here and the Olympics, sponsor the Olympics here. I just want to make this a well-known place of entertainment, a hub.”
To help voters make informed decisions this election year, News 4-Fox 11 is publishing and broadcasting dozens of interviews with candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot.
In fairness to all candidates, they were asked a series of similar questions. We are posting the full interviews online so voters can watch their responses in their entirety.
Visit our Know Your Candidates 2026 page to view other race previews and meet other candidates.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.
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