Bishop Gorman Wins 5A State Title For The Second Year In A Row

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bishop Gorman (coached by Grant Rice) capped off their incredible season by winning the 5A state championship on Friday night. The Gaels finished with a 24-5 record and only lost one game in conference play. This was also Bishop Gorman's second straight 5A state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='986960' first='Nick' last='Jefferson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1511462' first='Jett' last='Washington'], Tyler Washington, and [player_tooltip player_id='1315766' first='Christopher' last='Baudreau'] led the way for them. They also had some positive contributions from [player_tooltip player_id='1965274' first='Ilan' last='Nikolov'], [player_tooltip player_id='2047786' first='Kameron' last='Cooper'], [player_tooltip player_id='1534009' first='Kingston' last='Carmona'] and Terry McKinnney III.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mojave (coached by Kejaun Clark) did a good job of matching Bishop Gorman's offense in the first half thanks to [player_tooltip player_id='1668933' first='Phil' last='Gordon'] hitting 3 triples. At halftime it was 31-26. and things were looking like it could stay close the rest of the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then in the third quarter, [player_tooltip player_id='2086139' first='Tyler' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1511462' first='Jett' last='Washington'] opened things up, combining for 10 points in just a few minutes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mojave attempted to get back in it in the fourth quarter, but Bishop Gorman stayed in control and closed it out like a championship team does.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final score was 71-59.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["986960"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bcb9f086863"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The senior point guard did what it took to deliver Bishop Gorman their second straight state title. On offense, he was scoring by driving to the basket and he also hit a 3-pointer. On defense, he was using his athleticism to make deflections and pressuring the Mojave guards. All in all, Jefferson had a great season for the Gaels. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 12 Points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1511462"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bcb9f0868e8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1511462' first='Jett' last='Washington'] took a minute to get going on offense, but in the 3rd quarter he began to get to work in the paint. The Bishop Gorman guards saw that he has some good position, so they fed him the ball and he took care of the rest with his craftiness and explosiveness. It was quite entertaining to watch, and he really seemed to be in the zone. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 21 Points, 9 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2086139"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bcb9f08697b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2086139' first='Tyler' last='Johnson'] proved why he's one of the best defensive players in the state on Friday. He has the lateral quickness and length needed to guard just about anyone, which is why he was assigned to [player_tooltip player_id='1268866' first='CJ' last='Shaw']. Although Shaw had a decent game, Johnson made sure that he didn't get too hot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 10 Points, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 2 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1315766"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bcb9f0869f6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1315766' first='Christopher' last='Baudreau'] made his presence felt in the state final by using his height and length to grab rebounds and swat shots. Baudreau also managed to get a few easy baskets for the Gaels by being in the right place at the right time around the rim. Overall, it was a solid playoff performance from the 6'9 forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 11 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Blocks </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1268866"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bcb9f086a6b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1268866' first='CJ' last='Shaw'] fought hard to keep his Rattlers close with Bishop Gorman. He was driving to the cup and hitting shots from the outside. Two of his baskets came off emphatic dunks. Unfortunately for him, Bishop Gorman threw multiple defenders at him over the course of the game. Which prevented him for going off for 25+ points like his a capable of.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 19 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->