43 games. 768 days. These numbers quantified Bishop Gorman boys basketball’s undefeated win streak. The Gaels had not lost a game since the start of the COVID pandemic, and that string of blowout wins did not seem to be reaching an end anytime soon. Especially not against Liberty, a team they had beat three times already this season.
Actually, Liberty had a prime opportunity to hand Bishop Gorman an early season loss when they first met in a mid-December tournament. The Patriots forced a rare overtime situation against Bishop Gorman, but clutch shooting by the Gaels helped them escape an untimely upset. However, that would be the closest of the three meetings this season between the two teams. The second edition was a nine-point league win for the Gaels where they established a double-digit first quarter lead and never relinquished it. Third time wasn’t the charm for Liberty, as they lost 77-61 to Bishop Gorman in the NIAA 5A Southern Boys Championship.
In many states, that would be the end of the season. But in Nevada, the finalists in the Southern and Northern sections are placed into a 4-team, all-5A bracket. That meant Liberty would have one last shot at taking down the giants in Nevada if they each won their semifinals matchups. And, of course, they did.
Entering the 5A state championship, Bishop Gorman sported a 30-0 record while Liberty held a 21-4 record, with three of those losses coming to the Gaels and the other lone loss in an uncharacteristic upset. Through the first two quarters, Liberty hung with Bishop Gorman, even leading 28-27 at halftime. However, the Gaels asserted their dominance in the third quarter with an 18-9 run, which seemed to put an early dagger into Patriot nation.
Midway through the last quarter, Liberty went on an 8-2 run to bring the deficit to within two points. Then, with just 38.2 seconds remaining in the game, Liberty’s star Joshua Jefferson hit a turnaround layup to tie the game and send it into overtime. This wasn’t unfamiliar territory for the Patriots, especially against the Gaels. They just had to learn from their past mistakes. And they did.
Liberty got off to a great overtime start and carried that momentum to a 62-59 advantage late in the period. A foul with under 30 seconds remaining sent the Gaels to the line for a one-and-one, which they crucially missed. After a made Liberty free throw, the Gaels raced down the court and knocked down a three to cut the deficit to one with only 2.4 seconds left. All Liberty had to do was get the ball in-bounds and let the Gaels foul. The pass sailed short of the intended target and was stolen by Ryan Ableman, whose three-point prayer fell just short as time expired. The streak was finally over.
Bishop Gorman was ranked fourth in the nation and had not lost to Liberty in the last decade and a half. It took four tries, but the Patriots finally pulled off the win of the year, and one they’ll remember forever.
