Bingham lays it on in title game rematch

RIVERTON — Thanks in large part to last year's 5A state championship game, the Bingham-Riverton rivalry has evolved into one of the premiere clashes in the state, and Friday's showdown in front of a packed house had all the makings of another classic.

Too bad Riverton came out and laid a massive egg.

With the Silverwolves throwing up endless bricks in the first half, including eight straight missed free throws in the second quarter, No. 3 Bingham raced to a 20-point halftime lead and easily rolled to the 73-45 victory Friday night.

"We made a lot of shots, and they missed a lot of free throws, that was the biggest difference early," said Bingham coach Mark Dubach. "I expected it to be a close game, it usually is over here, so I'm unbelievably happy to get out of here with a win."

Things began to unravel for Riverton early in the second quarter, trailing 18-14 after Ute-bound Morgan Grim missed the front end of a 1-and-1. During Riverton's next 10 possessions it committed two turnovers, missed all six free throw attempts and missed all five field goal attempts.

The Miners (13-3) capitalized with a very impressive 17-1 spurt to close the half, basically rendering the second half meaningless. David Johnson accounted for 11 points during that stretch, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Bingham the 35-15 halftime lead.

"Davey's a streak shooter, he can miss three of four in a row, and he can make three or four in a row," said Dubach. "He's a great shooter and he has the green light to shoot if somebody leaves him open."

Riverton (10-5) made just 3 of 14 free throws in the first half, and Johnson could sense the misses taking their toll on the 'Wolves.

"In a big game, with your home crowd coming out, it's hard not to get demoralized when you're not making shots," said Johnson.

Ironically enough, despite a raucous Riverton student body that filled the entire student section, it was Bingham that came out relaxed. The Miners capitalized on six Riverton first quarter turnovers to take an early 16-8 lead.

"I set up my preseason to prepare for big games, and I think it's a big part of why we're successful," said Dubach, whose team played Lone Peak, Davis and Payson in the preseason, in addition to three out-of-state teams in San Diego during the holidays.

Bingham finished the game shooting 60 percent from the field, whereas Riverton shot 31 percent from the field and 51 from the foul line.