Bishop Gorman won its seventh consecutive state championship today by limiting Bishop Manogue to 19 second-half points in a 62-41 victory.
The Gaels led for most of the final three quarters to become the first team in Nevada history to win seven straight titles, according to the NIAA record book.
Jamal Bey, Gorman’s senior team leader, unofficially led the Gaels with 16 points. Freshman Will McClendon had critical 3-pointers in each half as Gorman pulled away.
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Gorman one quarter away from a 7th consecutive title
The Bishop Gorman High basketball team scored the initial eight points of the third quarter to grow its lead in the state championship game to double digits.
The advantage is 44-35 entering the final quarter — eight minutes away from a seventh consecutive state championship.
Freshman Will McClendon had a 3-pointer in the scoring outburst for Gorman, which is using two freshmen and two sophomore on the floor during crunch time.
In back and forth state game, Gorman leads Reno school by 6 points at halftime
The Bishop Gorman High basketball team trailed Bishop Manogue by two points midway through the second quarter of the state championship and hadn’t scored in four minutes.
Then, Noah Taitz and freshman Will McClendon hit 3-pointers, and Gorman closed the half strong for a 28-22 lead.
Gorman, which is playing for its seventh straight championship, has been greatly tested in the tournament. It trailed Spanish Springs most of the state semifinals yesterday, and appears to be in a back-and-forth affair with Manogue.
Gorman leads by 5 points after first quarter of state game
The Bishop Gorman basketball team won’t play from behind tonight.
It leads Bishop Manogue 14-9 after the first quarter of the state championship game, using a 3-pointer from Noah Taitz and two baskets on the inside from Isaiah Cottrell in grabbing an early lead against its opponent from Reno.
Gorman, which is playing for a seventh straight championship, started better than Thursday’s state semifinal when it trailed Spanish Springs for most of the game.
Gorman trailed by two points early, then scored nine unanswered points to grab the lead. And possibly grab the lead for good.
Gorman looking to avoid historic upset in state championship
A headline in today’s Reno Gazette Journal labeled Bishop Manogue’s state semifinal victory Thursday against Canyon Springs as “one of the biggest upsets in state tournament history.”
Imagine if Bishop Manogue beat Bishop Gorman in today’s state championship game?
Gorman is the six-time defending state champions and has a rotation of players with major Division I scholarship offers. Not only are the Gaels expected to win, you can argue the outcome will be lopsided.
Or will it?
Gorman trailed with less than three minutes to play Thursday in its state semifinal victory against Spanish Springs and, you can easily argue, could still be tired from having to rally for the win.
And, of course, Manogue was the last team to beat Gorman in the postseason, when in 2011 it took down the Gaels in the state semifinals as significant underdogs.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21