South Jordan » The atmosphere was familiar for the Riverton players. There was a big crowd full of parents, friends and schoolmates. It was loud with the Bingham band blaring in the background. The Silverwolves always expect a big-game atmosphere when they take on Bingham.
What they didn't expect was how much they won by Thursday. Riverton stayed undefeated on the season and handed Bingham its first loss with a 49-34 win over the Miners.
"It was intense. It's always intense [against Bingham]," said Dani Lockhart, who led Riverton with 21 points. "I'm a little surprised at the score."
Though Riverton (13-0, 2-0 Region 3) kept its lead over double digits for most of the second half, the Silverwolves never felt comfortable. Riverton coach Ron Ence emphasized finishing strong because he knows that against a tough team like Bingham (12-1, 1-1), a lead can quickly disappear.
"Against a good team, you need to have a good effort, and for the most part, I think we got that," Ence said. "We were lucky to have a small lead, but we need to improve and get better in the last three minutes."
Riverton earned a lead in the first half with fast breaks and driving to the basket and then dishing it off. In the first half, the only two Silverwolves to score were Lockhart and Chelsea Sorensen.
Sorensen made the best of her teammates' dishes by hitting short jumpers throughout the first half.
Bingham was uncharacteristically cold from the field, but the Miners did manage an 11-2 run at the end of the second quarter to cut the deficit to 18-15.
But in the second half, the Miners again couldn't find their shots, and they were plagued by turnovers. Bingham turned the ball over more than 20 times.
