Riverton wins one for coach Ence

SOUTH JORDAN — A concussion suffered in a nine-car accident on Tuesday kept Riverton coach Ron Ence out of the gymnasium for the re-match between the Silverwolves and Bingham Thursday night, but his injuries didn't keep him from inspiring his team.

"He sent everyone a big, long e-mail last night," said assistant coach Jill Ames after Riverton made school history beating Bingham both times in region play with a 38-36 win in front of a standing-room only crowd.

"He told them to play fearless basketball. ... He used that Billy Jean King quote about pressure being a privilege. ... He told to enjoy the moment."

And enjoy it they did — on his behalf.

"It was tough to play without him," said Malissa "Red" Ingram, who played stifling defense on Bingham point guard Nicole Yazzie. "But we decided we were playing this game for him. That pushed us even more."

Ingram's defense made a huge difference in the game, especially on the last play of the game. With six seconds left, the Miners called a time-out. The ball was supposed to go to Yazzie, but Ingram had her covered. Yazzie finished with just six points, both 3-point shots.

"Last game she killed us with 26 points," said Ames. "We told Red, 'You can't lose her.'"

Ames said junior forward Chelsea Sorensen was also able to score more in the second meeting of these to teams thanks to some adjustments. Sorensen is recovering from a sprained ankle she suffered playing club volleyball last weekend.

"My coach wasn't too happy about that," she said with a grin. "It hurts pretty bad right now."

Sorensen came up with some big rebounds, but it was her 16 points that really helped the Silverwolves.

"Chelsea was big tonight," said Ames.

In a game as tight as Thursday's, every play takes on significance and both teams played well defensively. In the first half, Riverton out-rebounded Bingham, but the Miners did a much better job not giving up offensive rebounds in the second half.

Dani Lockhart had another good night rebounding against Bingham and she finished with six points. And just as Riverton's defense shut down Yazzie's scoring, Bingham's defense held Riverton guard Alle Finch, who led her team in scoring last game, to three points.

Ames said the Silverwolves expected Bingham forward Erica Newbold to make up for a quiet performance last game and she did. She finished with a team-high 14 points.

"We expected Newbold to go off," Ames said. "She's a good player and she wasn't going to settle for a night like last time. This was a gut-check for us."