Defending Class 5A state champion Liberty made a statement when it blew out Bishop Gorman by 23 points earlier this season in a rematch of last year’s boys basketball title game.
With the opportunity to qualify for the state tournament Thursday night, the Patriots made another statement.
Behind 23 points from junior point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., No. 1-seeded Liberty rolled past No. 4 Coronado 78-45 in a Class 5A Southern League semifinal at Liberty.
The Patriots (20-8) have qualified for next week’s state tournament and will host the 5A Southern League championship game at 5 p.m. Saturday against No. 3 Durango, which pulled off a 63-55 road win over No. 2 Bishop Gorman in Thursday’s other semifinal.
“The feeling I had all day was that if we came in here and we took care of business, that was going to be the result,” Liberty coach Kevin Soares said. “If we didn’t, we knew it was going to be a dogfight. I’m just happy that part of it came to fruition.”
Senior guard and Utah Tech commit Angelo Kambala added 22 points for Liberty with six 3-pointers. The Patriots made 11 3-pointers through three quarters. The entire fourth quarter was played with a running clock.
“We played with a lot of energy,” Thomas said. “I didn’t have to get on the guys to prepare. They were already prepared. They wanted to win this game. It’s a rivalry game, so we really wanted this game.”
Liberty’s stout defense was present from the start. The Patriots had a 12-2 lead before Coronado (16-11) made its first field goal midway through the first quarter.
Coronado had no answers for Liberty’s scoring attack. With Thomas, Kambala and junior forward Andre Porter, the Patriots led by as many as 17 points in the first in front of a packed Liberty gym.
“It was big in the first half to just get that early lead and keep building on it the rest of the game,” Thomas said.
Porter, who scored all 12 of his points in the first half, made a layup with 4:10 left before halftime to finish a 12-0 run to grow the Patriots’ lead to 28 points.
Coronado senior guard and UCLA commit Sebastian Mack made three of the Cougars’ four second-quarter field goals, but Liberty led 54-25 at halftime.
“We didn’t let (Coronado) back into the game,” Soares said. “We kept up the pressure to play solid defense, especially in that first quarter. Once you get that lead, it makes it hard for them to come back.”
Mack finished with a team-high 17 points, and junior point guard Josiah Cunningham scored 14 for the Cougars. Soares said keeping Mack out of the paint was crucial, so the Patriots played a zone defense to clog the driving lanes and force him to shoot the ball.
Liberty defeated Durango 70-58 on Dec. 21 at the Tarkanian Classic. But the Trailblazers handed Liberty its only league loss on Jan. 21 with a 76-69 win.
“I wanted that rematch back,” Thomas said. “I was hoping (Durango) beat Gorman, so I’m glad we get to play them again.”
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