High school basketball: Bingham rallies, downs Copper Hills

SOUTH JORDAN — Bingham's resiliency isn't often tested.

With an average margin of victory of nearly 15 points — tops in 5A — the Miners aren't really accustomed to the adversity of a double-digit deficit in the second half. Following an awful second quarter in which they scored just three points, and then lights-out shooting by Copper Hills early in the third period, that was the reality facing the No. 1-ranked Miners Friday night.

Bingham coach Mark Dubach can cross another achievement off his team's to-do list.

The Miners overcame that 12-point deficit and in the process all but locked up the Region 3 title with a 54-51 victory over Copper Hills.

"At the end of the night, you either win or lose. The kids are unbelievably happy they got the win," said Dubach, whose team improved to 6-0 in league play while Copper Hills falls to 3-3.

Even though there were aspects to his team's performance that were frustrating, he was pleased with the way they gutted it out and prevailed when Steve Cordova's game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer bounced harmlessly off the backboard.

When these teams met back on Jan. 15, there were 69 free-throw attempts in Bingham's 67-59 win. In the rematch, there were only 15 combined foul shots, a wide-open style that suited Copper Hills just fine.

Leading 24-20 at the half following an ugly second quarter for both teams, Copper Hills scored on five of its first six possessions after halftime to open up a 36-24 lead over the visibly rattled Miners.

At that point Dubach, a coach who's usually selective about calling timeouts, knew his players needed to settle down.

"We're senior laden, and seniors need to overcome some things. We practice being down 10, it's one of those deals you're either going to fix it or you're not going to fix, and they couldn't so that's when I called a timeout," said Dubach.

Bingham was a different team after the timeout. It scored five quick points to cut the lead to seven, and by the end of the quarter it only trailed 41-38 as Nate Girsberger scored the final seven points.

Early in the fourth quarter Ty Hannay knocked down two of his four 3-pointers, the second putting the Miners ahead 48-45 with 4:11 remaining.

To Copper Hills' credit, though, it didn't panic after blowing the big lead, persistence that put the Grizzlies in great position to steal the road victory. A simple brain lapse might've prevented it from becoming reality though.