From Deseret News archives:
2nd-ranked Skyline beats Miners
But it wasn't a big deal, as Taylor spent the next 31 minutes dishing out payback with perhaps his best game of the season. Taylor scored 16 points and helped to neutralize Bingham's mammoth frontcourt in the Eagles' 61-53 win over the Miners.
The win improved second-ranked Skyline's record to 11-0 while fourth-ranked Bingham fell to 7-4.
Despite their higher ranking and unblemished record, the Eagles were considered underdogs in Tuesday's game, and mainly because of Bingham's size advantage. But center Davey Weixler controlled the paint before leaving the game in the first half with an ankle injury, and Taylor was solid on both ends of the floor the rest of the way.
Skyline held Bingham's 6-foot-8 center Ben Clifford and 6-foot-5 forward Remington Peck to a combined total of just 15 points.
"Our big guys played unreal tonight," said Skyline guard Ryan Osterloh. "They came to play tonight. They were the big difference makers in this game."
Taylor knew his role would be key in Tuesday's game and he welcomed the challenge.
"Their strength is in their big guys," he said. "They're really physical and skilled. We're a little undersized, but we battled."
And they did so from the opening tip.
The Eagles seemed intent on making a statement early in their win over the Miners. They opened the game on a 17-2 run while forcing Bingham to shoot 0-for-9 from the field in the first quarter. Osterloh scored six of his game-high 22 points during the first quarter, and Taylor had five points.
"We had some extra motivation for this game and it got us off to a good start," Taylor said. "We had a lot of enthusiasm. It's always hard to come into a good team's (home court) and win in their house. And we did it."
The Eagles had to survive a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Miners to prevail. Bingham stepped up its pressure on defense and went on a 12-0 run in the final period. Nathan Girsberger ignited the spurt with three 3-pointers.
Skyline, however, was able to hold off the threat as Taylor scored six points in the final five minutes, including two free throws with 44.1 seconds left that gave the Eagles a 58-53 lead.
Making the Eagles' accomplishment of holding the Miners off down the stretch even more impressive is that they did it at less than full strength. Guard Zeke Egan is injured and out of action for another couple of weeks. Weixler had his ankle iced and elevated, and Jaxon Judkins fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter.
"We had a lot of adversity in this game we had to fight through," said Skyline coach Derek Bunting. "These are mentally tough kids, on the road dealing with adversity, and it got tight down the stretch. The kids didn't fold. We certainly bent."
E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com
