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South Jordan • Bingham coach Jake Schroeder clapped his hands in exuberant fashion. Leading by 11 points midway through the fourth quarter, officials awarded possession to Brighton.
That was beside the point. Despite owning a double-figure lead, his Miners had locked down defensively, poking free a loose ball and diving headfirst to the floor. It was that type of relentless pressure that led to another lopsided victory, this one 62-48 against the Bengals on Tuesday, which has catapulted Bingham into a championship-caliber program.
"They're a tough guard. Their spacing, the shooters they have — they're a tough guard for us," Schroeder said. "But I thought our length started affecting the game toward the end."
No. 3 Bingham, which improved to 15-2 overall and 7-0 in Region 3, has won nine consecutive games, with an average margin of victory of 18.1 points per game. During the nine-game stretch, the Miners' nine-point win against second-ranked Copper Hills and 34-25 victory against West Jordan, where the Jaguars deliberately milked long possessions, were the only games not decided by more than 10 points.
Yoeli Childs, who Schroeder said "went back to his old ways on getting back on the block," surpassed his season average of 18.4 points per game, with 19 points to lead all-scorers. Bingham guards Samuta Avea (13 points) and Dason Youngblood (12 points) collectively added 25 points, while dictating the defensive end.
It was the fourth straight win against Brighton for the Miners, who won the first meeting by 17 points while the Bengals were without Simi Fehoko in the lineup. This time around, Brighton (10-7, 4-2) entered with an optimistic attitude, playing more fluid basketball with Fehoko — who missed time to play in the Army All-American Bowl for football — back in the lineup and helping string together four wins in five games.
But Fehoko was limited to eight points, half his season average. Chayse Mims battled Childs underneath for 12 points, while Parker Gile added eight points.
The Miners' extended defense flustered Brighton into coughing up turnovers early, leading to a quick 24-14 lead for Bingham after the first quarter. Once Brighton acclimated to the increased intensity, Tate Weichers, who leads the team in 3-pointers, benefitted with space on the perimeter, as he knocked down two consecutive 3s in the second quarter to pull Brighton back within 30-26 at intermission. Weichers finished with nine points.
Brighton continued to hang around until Bingham locked down defensively in the fourth quarter outscoring the Bengals, 20-11, in the final frame.
"It was very similar to what happened at their place last time," Schroeder said. "We got up early and they hung around, and then finally we got two or three stops in a row."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
R Bingham improves to 15-2 and 7-0 in Region 3 after completing season sweep against Brighton.
• Third-ranked Miners have won nine straight games by an average margin of 18.1 points per game.
• Bingham's Yoeli Childs led all scorers with 19 points.