Dajaah Lightfoot’s double-double powers Desert Oasis over Bishop Gorman

The players from Desert Oasis’ girls basketball team were greeted with a welcome sign as they walked into the gym at Bishop Gorman on Monday.

In the past, something as benign as that banner would have been enough to psych out the visiting Diamondbacks.

But not this time.

Desert Oasis held third-ranked Gorman to one field goal in the final 10 minutes, 50 seconds and overcame a massive psychological hurdle to earn a 50-37 victory.

Dajaah Lightfoot had 12 points and 15 rebounds to lead the No. 4 Diamondbacks (18-5, 10-1 Southwest League), who host second-place Spring Valley on Wednesday with the league’s top seed on the line.

“I’m excited for our school, for this team, for this program because people sometimes walk into Gorman and it’s almost a setback right away,” Desert Oasis coach Laurie Evans-Gygax said. “You preach to your kids over and over, ‘You can do this. You’re the better team. You’ve got what it takes.’ But until they come in here and do it, it’s hard sometimes for young kids to believe in themselves. I’m just so proud of them.”

Gorman (18-6, 8-2) made only 10 of its 58 shots and committed 24 turnovers against the Diamondbacks’ active zone defense.

Samantha Coleman’s steal and layup midway through the fourth was the Gaels’ lone bucket of the quarter.

“We told them regardless of what happens on our offense, we’re going to win this game with our defense. And they did,” Evans-Gygax said. “They went through a big stretch in the third and fourth quarter forcing a bunch of turnovers, and that’s what won it.”

Ahmaya Smith put back her own miss to cap a 14-3 run and give Desert Oasis a 39-29 lead with 4:55 remaining. After Gorman got as close as 43-37 with 2:07 left, the Diamondbacks went 7-for-14 from the free-throw line to pull away.

“I truly believe that we have one of the best teams in the state, from top to bottom, and it kind of proved it tonight,” Evans-Gygax said. “We rotated a lot, and everyone gave us something.”

Coleman finished with a team-high 12 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Gorman a 20-18 halftime lead.

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.