Players of the Bishop Gorman High basketball team, from left Zaon Collins, Noah Taitz, Mwani Wilkinson, Will McClendon and Braden Lamar, take a portrait during the Las Vegas Sun’s High School Basketball Media Day at the Red Rock Resort and Casino, Oct. 28, 2019.
Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 | 9:05 p.m.
The Bishop Gorman basketball team has won the last eight Nevada high school basketball state championships. But there have been plenty of close calls along the way.
That trend continued Tuesday in the Desert Regional semifinals, as Gorman needed a Mwani Wilkinson basket at the buzzer for a 61-59 victory against Liberty and a spot in next week’s state tournament.
Wilkinson was the difference-maker for the Gaels, scoring a team-high 23 points to go along with 11 rebounds and eight blocks. Or as Gorman coach Grant Rice says, “Mwani was so dominant it was ridiculous.”
Gorman led 59-52 with about two minutes to play, but struggled to put the game away with missed free throws and sloppy play.
“We had a couple of bad turnovers and Liberty did a good job,” Rice said.
Sophomore Ryan Abelman hit a pair of big 3-pointers for the Gaels in finishing with eight points, Zaon Collins had 13 points, five assists and four steals, and junior Will McClendon had 14 points and six rebounds.
Julian Strawther, the senior who will play in college at Gonzaga, led Liberty with 23 points and 11 rebounds. His free throw in the final seconds evened the score at 59, but Gorman again wouldn’t be denied at the buzzer when Abelman grabbed an offensive rebound and dished to Wilkinson for the winning points with 1.8 seconds remaining.
“Abelman was awesome,” Rice said.
Last year, Noah Taitz hit a buzzer beater in the regional semifinal round to extend the Gorman season. A few years earlier, Centennial missed a shot at the buzzer that would have ended the Gorman run.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
