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.”

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.”

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.”

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.

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels will hit the road to face off with the Nevada Wolf Pack tonight. It is going to be a huge matchup between two Mountain West Conference in-state rivals. UNLV is an underdog in this game, and the predictions for this game have been reflecting this. This prediction comes from Kim Smith of Picks and Parlays. This is not a favorable prediction for the Rebels, who they do not expect to have much of a chance in this game. This is what they had to say about the Rebels and the game.

Picks And Parlays On The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels

“From a statistical perspective, UNLV averages 78.0 points per game while allowing 77.3. The Rebels shoot 46% from the field, collect 35.8 rebounds per game, and average 14.2 assists. Offensively, they are most effective when they can get out in transition and avoid extended half-court possessions.

One area where UNLV stands out is defensive activity. The Rebels average 8.5 steals and 4.4 blocks per game, showing their ability to disrupt passing lanes and protect the rim. When UNLV forces turnovers, they are far more likely to control tempo and stay competitive against higher-ranked opponents.”

Picks And Parlays Prediction For UNLV Runnin’ Rebels @ Nevada Wolf Pack

“Pick: Nevada -7.5

Nevada’s defensive consistency and strong home-court advantage give them the edge in this rivalry matchup. UNLV has struggled to maintain efficiency against disciplined defenses, and the Wolf Pack’s ability to control tempo should limit the Rebels’ transition opportunities. Over 40 minutes, Nevada’s execution should allow them to pull away…

I’m backing the under here because Nevada prefers a slower pace and emphasizes half-court defense. With both teams capable defensively and the Wolf Pack likely dictating tempo, this game sets up as a more controlled, lower-scoring rivalry battle than the total suggests.

Final Score Prediction: Nevada 76, UNLV 68″

While we do expect Nevada to win this game, we believe this game will be closer than predicted. This rivalry game will finish within five points. The Rebels have proven that they can beat or lose to anybody in the Mountain West on any given night. After a brutal performance in their last loss to the New Mexico Lobos, we expect Josh Pastner to have his team focused and playing much better against their rivals.

More UNLV Rebels On SI News