This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
West Jordan • It was the best of three. After splitting the first two games in the series this season, top-ranked Bingham and No. 3 Copper Hills faced off in a decisive third meeting on Tuesday evening.
Following an inexcusable upset loss against West Jordan, Copper Hills desperately needed to prevail on its home floor to remain in contention for the region title, but the Miners validated their ranking in their first game as the the No. 1 program in the state of Utah with a 66-59 win to build a virtually insurmountable three-game lead in Region 3.
"It feels great. I mean, Copper Hills, they always bring it," said Bingham guard Samuta Avea. "We knew they were going to come out strong. Their crowd is great. We had to play our game."
Bingham, which is now 17-2 on the season and 9-0 in league play, has not lost since mid-December, winning 11 consecutive games, including eight by double figures. It was the second straight win against Copper Hills after its 16-game winning streak in the series was snapped by two consecutive setbacks to the Grizzlies (16-3, 6-3), including in the Elite 8 Tournament championship.
Yoeli Childs, Avea and Lleyton Parker each finished with 15 points for the Miners, while Schyler Shoemaker added 10 points. Parker led the charge in the first half, with 12 points in the first 16 minutes to help the Bingham establish an early 25-20 lead at intermission.
The Miners trailed briefly, 2-0, but responded with a 7-0 run and never faced a deficit afterward, ballooning their advantage to as many as 15 points.
Preston Sanchez led all scorers, with 19, in the loss for the Grizzlies. Charlie Olsen, who connected on several momentum-tipping 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Copper Hills cut its deficit to four points, scored 15 points, and Trevor Hoffman finished with 11 points.
Bingham once again used its length to fluster another opponent. Copper Hills, which employs four guards in its starting lineup, constantly received instant rejection in the paint from high-flyers Childs and Avea, who said the two teammates "yap at each other to see who is winning" the season shot-blocking race.
"They're one of the best offensive teams in the state," Bingham coach Jake Schroeder said. "We tried to change our defense as much as possible and really challenge the guys to stay in front of guys like Olsen and Sanchez. That's a job in itself, but with our length, we try and contest as many shots as we can."
Bingham has three games remaining against West Jordan, Cottonwood and Taylorsville. Beating the Jaguars would clinch an the region title. Tonight's win secured the Region 3 No. 1 seed.
"We forget about it. We don't even remember this by the time we wake up," said Avea when asked how to avoid becoming overconfident. "It's back to practice."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs