5A boys basketball state tournament capsules

Scoring defense: 52.5 ppg (7th in 5A)

Last state championship: 1979 (3A)

Prep editor James Edward’s bracket: Lost to West Jordan in championship.

Edward’s evaluation: After erasing any doubt that it could get over the Lone Peak hurdle, the sky’s the limit for this team in the playoffs. The Cavemen consistently play great defense, and with four players averaging in double figures are tough to slow offensively too. They caught a break by winning the coin flip with Lone Peak, and are clearly the best team in the lower portion of the bracket.

Bingham Miners (8-13)

Coach: Mark Dubach

How qualified: Finished tied with Riverton for third in Region 4 with a 4-6 record, but won the region tiebreaker to claim the No. 3 seed.

Playoff opener: vs. Hunter, Tuesday, 2:30 p.m. (At Maverik Center)

Best preseason victory: A 78-69 win against Brighton on Dec. 20.

Best region victory: A 54-52 win at Riverton on Jan. 20.

Top contributors

#2 Cody Benson, Sr., Guard (14.8 ppg)

#3 Conner Williams, Sr., Guard (11.0 ppg)

#10 Josh Sandquist, Sr., Guard (6.7 ppg)

#4 Jake Bagley, Sr., Guard (6.5 ppg)

#12 Eric Hannay, Sr., Forward (6.1 ppg)

Scoring offense: 53.1 ppg (15th in 5A)

Scoring defense: 57.7 ppg (20th in 5A)

Last state championship: 2006

Prep editor James Edward’s bracket: Lost to West Jordan in quarterfinals.

Edward’s evaluation: The Miners limp into the playoffs with three-straight losses, including a 27-point setback to Lone Peak in the regular season finale. Under normal circumstances, this might be a one-and-done playoff appearance, but Bingham catches a break by drawing Hunter in the first round. With a victory, it would then get a rematch in the quarterfinals with West Jordan, which beat Bingham by 35 points in the preseason.

Brighton Bengals (14-7)

Coach: Jeff Gardner

How qualified: Finished third in Region 4 with a 6-4 record.

Playoff opener: vs. Weber, Tuesday, 4:10 p.m. (At Maverik Center)

Best preseason victory: An 81-74 win at Gillette, Wyo. On Dec. 30.

Best region victory: A 85-82 (OT) win against West Jordan on Jan. 24.

Top contributors

#22 Brandon Miller , Jr., Guard (21.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.7 spg)

#35 Travis Devashrayee, Jr., Forward (12.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.8 spg)

#40 Bryce Callahan, Jr., Forward (9.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.8 spg)

#2 Zach Wertz, Sr., Guard (7.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg)

#13 Jon Hicken, Sr., Guard (4.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.9 spg)

Scoring offense: 64.8 ppg (3rd in 5A)

Scoring defense: 57.5 ppg (19th in 5A)

Last state championship: 1996

Prep editor James Edward’s bracket: Lost to Weber in first round.