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Riverton • For the first time since midway through the first quarter, Riverton had seized momentum. It was early in the fourth, and the Silverwolves were trying to claw their way back into the game.

But on the next Bingham possession, Miners guard Ashton Henderson plowed her way to the basket, drawing a foul and sinking both free throws. After a defensive stop, Henderson again went to the hoop, this time getting the layup to fall. And just like that, the Silverwolves' threat was over.

Henderson's 18 points, along with a stifling defense, allowed the Miners' girls' basketball team to knock off Riverton 49-39 Thursday night in a matchup of Region 4 heavyweights.

"Tonight, I guess it was me," Henderson said. "But there's been other nights when it was Jill [Powell] that had to take control. We always know that somebody's going to have it for us. Somebody will back us up."

Riverton started the fourth on a 6-0 run to halve its deficit. But after Henderson's free throws and layup, the Silverwolves wouldn't get any closer, disappointing a large crowd and full student section that at times seemed on the verge of erupting.

"It was a fun game," Henderson said. "When we play together as a team, we have fun. This is a great team that we played — they always have a great crowd, and we respect them."

The Miners' smothering man-to-man defense held the Silverwolves to just 21 points through the first three quarters, taking some suspense from a game likely to loom large in the final Region 4 standings. Riverton, the defending region champs, came in having lost just one game, while the Miners were able to stay unbeaten with the win.

"We knew we had to be there defensively, and we did," Miners guard Madison Aulai-Roe said. "They're a good team, and it means a lot to still be undefeated, but we've still got games to look forward to."

Whitney Saunders had 16 points for Riverton, many of them coming late in the game, which kept the Silverwolves within striking distance in the fourth. —

Storylines Bingham 49, Riverton 39

R Ashton Henderson leads the Miners with 18 points.

• Riverton's 6-0 run in the fourth quarter falls short.