When Dyana Thurgood steps onto the basketball court, everyone knows what to expect.

Bingham coach Randall Rasmussen knows his star defensive player will shut down the opposing team's top scorer. Her teammates know they can depend on her to play each play as it were her last. And foes expect Thurgood to be every bit of the disruptive force in the backcourt as she's showed over the past few seasons. You won't find a harder worker in prep girls' basketball than the Bingham senior.

Thurgood, a 5-foot-8 shooting guard, is an aggressive player. It's a character trait the four-year letterman always possessed. And during that span, her reputation as a defensive stopper has grown throughout the state. Regardless of who her opponent is, Thurgood never wavers, bringing the same championship game intensity to every ballgame.

"She's endured an unbelievable amount of injuries over her career," Rasmussen said. "But she fights her way through them. Dyana is the kind of player who takes great pride of what she does."

Thurgood's journey began four years ago. As a freshman trying out for a stellar program like Bingham's, she had difficulty imagining making the varsity team. But surprising even herself, Thurgood pulled it off.

Coaches were immediately impressed with Thurgood's confidence and work ethic, both on and off the court. A weakness they spotted, though, was her defense. Thurgood says coaches worked with her plenty to improve that area of her game. From then on defense became a passion for the young freshman.

"I think it started by going up against incredibly talented girls [in practice]," Thurgood said.

Defense appeals to Thurgood because it presents a personal challenge. For the most part, Bingham plays a man-to-man defense. And Rasmussen makes sure Thurgood will be guarding the opposition's best scorer. The one defensive effort that comes to mind for Rasmussen was her play against Jordan last season when she held prolific scorer Izzy Gustafson to one point.

Thurgood's journey, however, hasn't always been a smooth ride.

As a sophomore, she was sidelined with a broken collarbone just before the start of the state tournament. Thurgood watched the Miners' state title run -- which ended with a win over Skyline -- from the sidelines.

Her junior year included more run-ins with injury. At one point or another, Thurgood dealt with concussion, a sprained ankle, broken foot, broken tooth and jaw last season.

"My parents have always told me nothing comes easy. You have to be willing to work at it if you want to make a difference," Thurgood said.

No matter the injury, the Miners standout will try to play. So how does one play with a broken ankle or foot? Thurgood's response: "A good tape job."

All the blood, sweat, and tears she's put into basketball were for this season. Now a senior, her time at Bingham is almost over. Although she will most likely play in college, she still has unfinished business at Bingham.

Helping the Miners (14-1 overall) to another great start was suddenly brought to a halt by yet another injury. During a mid-January practice, Thurgood broke her nose in three places. But being the warrior that she is, don't expect Thurgood to miss any playing time.

"I wouldn't bet against her," Rasmussen said. "Dyana does kind of everything,. She'll get vocal when she needs to be. And she's an obvious leader by example. Most kids wouldn't play with the injuries she's played with. I'm going to miss Dyana after this season."