Cottonwood Heights » The man defense got the Brighton girls' basketball team off to a good start on Thursday night, holding American Fork to just two points in the first quarter and nine in the first half. When the Bengals switched to a zone in the second half, it worked as well.

The inside game was there. So were the long-range jumpers.

In short, everything was going right for the Bengals en route to their 44-31 win over Region 4 leader American Fork on Thursday night.

"It was just a good game for us from start to finish," Brighton coach Jim Gresh said. "A lot of good things happened all game long."

The Bengals made their presence known early, jumping out to a 13-2 first-quarter lead, highlighted by Kylie Hirschi's aggressive drives to the basket and Katie Tominaga's all-purpose effort, including by a late 3-point bucket and a series of aggressive pulldowns. Following Amanda Oswald's late second-quarter block and subsequent buzzer-beater bucket, the Bengals left the court with fists pumping.

"We were just clicking," said Tominaga. "Our effort and intensity was there from the start. We knew we couldn't only do it half-way against a team like American Fork."

But on this night, the Cavemen never challenged.

The next three quarters amounted to an exercise in futility as the penalty-plagued Cavemen struggled to find their shot. Though they were able to regain

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some inside presence in the second half, the shots just wouldn't fall.

Meanwhile, Brighton continued to roll, extending its lead to 36-20 heading into the final period. The Bengals executed their offense with patience and perfection down the stretch, allowing Kylie Hirschi to find her way inside for a game-high 15 points.

The wins caps a solid week in league play for the Bengals, who now hold the No. 3 spot in Region 4 behind American Fork and Lone Peak.