Liberty boys basketball coach Keith Ulrich says his team is peaking at the right time, and that spells trouble for the rest of the Class 5A field. The No. 1 seed Patriots (22-5) open state tournament play Wednesday at 8 p.m. against No. 5 Democracy Prep (14-12) at Valley High School.
Liberty earned the top seed by going undefeated in Southern League play, navigating a stacked 5A conference that features three other semifinalists. The Patriots have won 12 straight games, including a 76-66 regular-season victory over Democracy Prep in a contest that was tied at halftime.
“All of the final four teams — Gorman, Coronado, us, Democracy Prep — all have talent,” Ulrich said. “They all play really good defense, they all play smart and they play together. Personnel is different, style of play is different, but all of the teams in the semifinals all do those things.”
Ulrich, in his first season as head coach, has 10 seniors on the roster, and he credits their buy-in for the team’s success. “We wouldn’t be in this position if they didn’t buy in,” he said. “We certainly have senior leadership. Typically, in my experience, it’s harder to get the seniors to buy in than the younger kids, and I feel with this group there hasn’t been an issue.”
Senior point guard Tyus Thomas, the younger brother of former UNLV point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., leads Liberty in scoring (14.6 points per game) and averages 3.7 assists. Ulrich praised Thomas’s basketball IQ: “It’s not just that he can score and he facilitates, it’s that he has a really high IQ. From a coaching perspective, that gives you the opportunity to run a lot more offense than you would typically run if you didn’t have a true point guard that really could facilitate and get our offense in all kinds of different looks.”
Senior forward Dante Steward, a four-year varsity player, is close behind at 14.0 points per game, and senior guard Tayshawn Caesar adds 10.5 points per game, giving the Patriots three reliable scoring options. Ulrich emphasizes ball movement: “We try to move the ball, get good shots, get to the paint, make good decisions off our reads and kick it to each other. The ball moves. When you watch us play, it’s not stagnant. And I think that lends to your whole group getting good opportunities when you play that way.”
In the other boys semifinal Wednesday, No. 3 Coronado (15-8) faces No. 2 Bishop Gorman (18-9) at 4:40 p.m. Gorman edged Coronado 62-58 in the Big City Showdown on Jan. 10. The teams have split their past four meetings, including Gorman’s 63-60 win in the 2024 state title game.
On the girls side, No. 1 Bishop Gorman (21-3) takes on No. 4 Coronado (10-15) at 3 p.m., followed by No. 2 Democracy Prep (15-6) versus No. 3 Shadow Ridge (12-8) at 6:20 p.m. Gorman defeated Coronado 73-29 in the regular season, while Democracy Prep beat Shadow Ridge twice by double digits. Texas commit Aaliah Spaight averages more than 22 points per game for Gorman, which is seeking its second state title in three seasons. Democracy Prep is aiming for its first 5A title after moving up from 2A following the 2023 season.
Ulrich knows the margin for error is slim in a field where every game has been close. “When you have close games, what you have to really be cognizant of as a team and as a coaching staff is you have to be able to take it one possession at a time,” he said. “You have to be able to not allow another team’s run to turn into an extended run. You have to be able to answer and respond in the flow of the game.”
State championship games are Friday at Valley High, with the girls final at 5 p.m. and the boys final at 7 p.m.
