Bingham would have none of it

Tyler Strong's jumper off a bounce pass with 3 seconds left capped a 29-point quarter by the Miners and helped Bingham stun Riverton 60-58. The win simultaneously crushed the Silverwolves' Region 3 title hopes and cemented the Miners as the region favorite heading into the Class 5-A playoffs.

"It's the stuff you dream about since you're a kid," Bingham guard Brett Somerville said.

Bingham's fourth-quarter rally could not have been scripted more excitingly. While Strong's final shot electrified the Miner fans, it was senior guard Sloan Baker who set the rally in motion.

Baker's three-pointer off a Riverton turnover cut the Silverwolves' lead to 41-36 barely a minute into the fourth quarter. He added another dagger beyond the arc two minutes later, knotting the score at 46-46 with 5:01 left.

Baker finished with 23 points to lead all scorers.

"I struggled a little bit in the third quarter, but I just refused to lose," Baker said. "I wasn't going to let our team lose, so I had to hit the big shots."

Baker sprinkled his big shots throughout the game. Starting in the final minute of the first quarter, he scored nine straight points to rally Bingham from a 12-9 deficit for its first lead.

Baker converted a four-point play to put the Miners up 18-16 with 5:10 left in the second quarter.

Making key plays is something his teammates have come to expect every game.

"Sloan has the ability to do that any time he wants," Sommerville said. "We just know when he's hot, he's hot and you just keep giving him the ball."

Riverton took a commanding lead in the second quarter after Mike Larsen's hot shooting sparked a 13-2 run. Larsen hit three three-pointers, and his last one beat the buzzer to give Riverton a 29-20 halftime advantage.

Morgan Grim initially kept the Silverwolves going after halftime. He scored back-to-back baskets to give Riverton a 37-29 lead with 1:35 left in the third quarter after Bingham cut the lead to four.

Larsen finished with 18 points and Grim added 16. Their combined effort made little difference in the final two minutes, when Riverton missed four free throws that could have held off the Miners.

Bingham coach Mark Dubach said the game challenged his team in a way they had not seen so far in region play.

"This is exactly what we needed to go into the tournament," Dubach said. "We wanted to make sure we could win a close game, and we're happy to come out of here with a win."

Bingham 60, Riverton 58

Tyler Strong scored Bingham's winning basket with 3 seconds left to cap a 29-point fourth quarter by the Miners.

Sloan Baker scored 23 points to lead all scorers and hit several key shots to rally Bingham.