Bishop Gorman boys back in state title game behind Nick Jefferson's double-double

Bishop Gorman’s Nick Jefferson (10) shoots over Desert Pines’ Mike Taylor (12) during the second half of a Class 5A high school semifinal basketball game at Clark High School Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. Photo by Steve Marcus

Coming out of halftime with a 29-17 lead, the Bishop Gorman boys’ basketball team was ready to put away Desert Pines in Wednesday’s state semifinal.

On the first possession, the Gaels went to a set play that saw point guard Nick Jefferson manipulate the defense from the top of the key before lobbing an alley-oop to teammate Kingston Carmona; Carmona cut along the baseline, snagged Jefferson’s pinpoint pass and slammed it home.

A few minutes later Jefferson tossed another oop to Carmona, this time improvising on a fast break, and Carmona laid it in off the glass to extend Bishop Gorman’s lead to 39-21.

Gorman cruised from there, securing a 61-51 victory at advance to Friday’s state championship game at Cox Pavilion.

As the Gaels pursue their second straight title, Jefferson’s expert pilot skills continue to take center stage. The unsung senior posted 14 points and 10 assists against Desert Pines, and each basket or dime seemed to come at just the right time, snuffing out Jaguars runs before they could get started.

Bishop Gorman head coach Grant Rice praised Jefferson, who was instrumental in last year’s title run, for guiding the Gaels back to the big game.

“Nick’s been our leader all year,” Rice said. “We like Nick with the ball in his hands. He makes good things happen.”

After building a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, Bishop Gorman switched to a full-court press that featured aggressive trapping in the backcourt. Jefferson made two steals during a chaotic stretch that saw the Gaels force turnovers on six of seven possessions, and the resulting 11-0 run pushed Gorman’s lead to 26-11 midway through the second quarter.

From there it was just about maintaining the lead, and Jefferson made timely plays whenever Desert Pines even threatened to threaten.

That’s one of Jefferson’s biggest strengths, according to Rice.

“Sometimes he knows he needs to score when we’re a little slow, and sometimes he’s fine with making the right play and making the right pass,” Rice said.

Junior wing Jett Washington led Bishop Gorman with 18 points off the bench while Carmona chipped in 10. The Gaels are now 23-5 on the season.

Desert Pines sophomore Tyler Merto scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, but the Jaguars never got within single digits until the final minute, long after the contest had been decided.

Bishop Gorman will face the winner of Silverado-Mojave in Friday’s title tilt. The Gaels beat Silverado, 65-51, less than two weeks ago, and they edged out Mojave, 70-67, on Jan. 21.

Whatever that game holds, Rice is confident his squad will be able to handle it, led by their experience point guard.

“We love having Nick,” Rice said. “We’ve got one game left and we’re going to give it our best shot.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.