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Bingham is a slow kill. The Miners methodically wear down opponents with a lethal dose of physicality, defense and rebounding.

On Friday in the Class 5A boys' semifinals, Bingham sent its 17th consecutive victim to the graveyard after thoroughly dispatching defending champion Layton, 71-42, to clinch a berth in the state championship on Saturday at 3 p.m.

"If you would have told me we'd come in and outscore [Layton] like that, I would have thought you were crazy," said Bingham coach Jake Schroeder. "… We're looking forward to tomorrow."

But for the top-ranked Miners to earn their first title since 2006, they'll need to defeat Copper Hills for the third time in an unprecedented fourth meeting this season.

Three of the meetings were for titles: Copper Hills took Round 1 in the Elite 8 Tournament championship. Bingham took the next two, the second essentially clinching the Region 3 title.

"I'm sure it will be crazy," said Bingham forward Yoeli Childs. "I'd say that's probably our biggest rivalry right now. Copper Hills is a great team — not just great players, they're a great team. It will be a lot of fun."

Layton (16-9), which spoiled Bingham's championship dreams in the quarterfinals last season, competed early, taking a quick 9-6 lead.

"The last three years we've lost to them," Schroeder said. "We had a real close team last year, and our seniors thought we had a chance to do some special things. I think our seniors this year wanted to make sure we won for them."

The Miners pulled even at 9 apiece on Schyler Shoemaker's 3-pointer from the corner midway through the first quarter.

The play was an example of the beauty of Bingham (23-2) this season. The triple was set up by an offensive rebound by Samuta Avea — the benchmark character for the Miners, who outrebounded Layton, 43-32, with 12 offensive rebounds that equated to 15 points.

Avea, who contributed eight of those boards and 11 points, quickly found Childs on the perimeter. As hands-down one of the best players in the state — who finished four blocks shy of a triple-double, with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six rejections — Childs immediately demanded a double-team.

He kicked to opposite wing as the Lancers converged, finding Lleyton Parker, the floor general who showcased his vision, with four assists, and scoring ability, with 14 points. He hesitated momentarily, knowing Layton would desperately try to recover, before skipping to Shoemaker in the corner.

The Lancers had no time to catch their breath following the blow, as Bingham hit them with another uppercut. And another. And another. Soon the Miners turned the brawl into the bloodbath, ballooning the lead to as many as 31 points.

Bingham is simply equipped with more forms of poison than most teams can survive, including Simote Lokotui, who added 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting. The Miners won the battle in the paint, 34-18. They scored more points off turnovers, 15-8, and in transition, 14-4. Their bench scored 14 points compared to four from Layton's reserves, and they had more assists (14-4), steals (9-7), blocks (9-5), 3-pointers (7-3).

But, following the 17th straight win, Schroeder succinctly stated the fact: None of those wins matter anymore.

"We really don't need to do a scouting report. I'm sure [Copper Hills coach Andrew] Blanchard doesn't need to do one," Schroeder said. "I'll be honest: Those last three don't matter. Tomorrow is where it all matters."

Added Childs: "We're not celebrating yet. We're waiting 'til tomorrow for that."

So, after an entire season, it all comes down to 32 minutes in Round 4.

Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Storylines

R Bingham won its 17th straight game to avenge its loss to last year to defending champion Layton.

• Five players reached double figures for the Miners.

• Bingham will meet Copper Hills in an unprecedented fourth meeting to determine the champion in the 5A classification at 3 p.m. on Saturday.