High school girls basketball: Layton captains lead Lancers to upset of No. 1 Bingham in 5A semis

He said the players have been a joy to coach because they work hard — on and off the court. The 20 players have a combined GPA of 3.88.

"It was not for lack of effort," he said. "And this doesn't take away from what we've accomplished. ... This is the funnest team I've ever had the chance to coach, and I didn't win it. This group is just special."

Bingham was led by Jillian Powell, who scored 10 points, Ashton Henderson, who scored nine, and Mackenzie Bruggeman, who added seven points and six rebounds. Those three and point guard Madison Aulai-Roe will play together next year at Snow College.

The Lancers had their work cut out for them after the Miner defense held them to just three points in the second quarter. Some of Layton's third-quarter turnaround was the return of Ashley Price, and some of it was Treseder inspiring her teammates not to settle for anything but a win.

"Livia stepped up," said coach Price. "She's been hampered with plantar fasciitis (and) stress fractures, and every game, if I play her too long, she's just holding her leg, her foot. ... It's not just that she's tired, she's in pain. I have to take her out and give her a rest."

Friday, she was the strongest post player on the court.

"I didn't see that today," said coach Price. "Today it was like she had an extra step. She'd get an extra rebound; she was all over the place. ... This was by far her best game overall, as far as effort being everywhere and giving it all she had. They want it. They really want it. They wanted to be here, and they want to win a championship."

The Lancers will take on second-ranked Riverton at 4 p.m. Saturday for the 5A state championship at Salt Lake Community College. It will be another battle.

"It's tough," coach Price said. "They knocked us out last year. We've got to watch some film, get a game plan together and hope for the best."

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