5A boys basketball: Tough draw for No. 1 Bingham in 2nd round showdown

The top-ranked Bingham Miners just completed a 20-1 regular season, won 14 of their games by double digits and are a solid favorite to win the 5A state championship this week.

So why isn't Bingham coach Mark Dubach doing cartwheels right now?

"I've got my hands full on day one," Dubach said. "We have the worst draw in the tournament."

No, the Miners didn't get much of a reward for being 5A's most dominant team during the regular season. Bingham opens the state tournament with a second-round game tonight against Lone Peak, the team that eliminated it from the postseason the last three seasons.

Obviously, this isn't the same loaded Lone Peak team that won two of the last three 5A championships, but with quality scorers such as freshman phenom Nick Emery and senior Tannon Pedersen, the Knights are dangerous in any one-game scenario. Ask Alta and Brighton, teams that finished ahead of Lone Peak in the Region 4 standings that were upended by the Knights during league play.

"They have good offensive players," Dubach said. "They're a good club that's beat all the top teams in their league."

Bingham-Lone Peak is one of eight second-round games being played at home sites tonight. The tournament started with four first-round games on Saturday. It moves to Weber State with quarterfinals on Wednesday and the semifinals on Friday. The state championship is Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

While Bingham had the best season of any team in 5A and is the team to beat, this week's tournament appears to be wide open. A few teams appear capable of stringing four wins together to win the state title, including league champions Davis and Fremont (co-winners in Region 1), West (Region 2) and Alta (Region 4).

Davis and Fremont finished with identical 19-2 overall records. It was the fifth straight season the Darts won at least 18 games, while Fremont enjoyed a huge turnaround under new coach Corey Melaney. The Silver Wolves improved by 12 wins from last year, and the only blemishes on their record are road losses at Bingham and Davis.

The Silver Wolves can make a run in the state tourney because they are built for postseason basketball.

"It's funny when people say, 'I knew you guys were going to be good,'" Melaney said. "I say, 'Really?' Because I didn't really know. I think we're a dangerous team (now) because we play defense, we rebound, and we don't rely on the outside shot."

West is one of two reigning state champions in this week's state tournament. The Panthers won it in 4A last year, while 5A champion West Jordan is also in the playoffs. West coach Bob Lyman understands that others are skeptical of his team's chances this week because Region 2 is considered 5A's weakest league.