SOUTH JORDAN — Bingham girls basketball coach Rand Rasmussen is pretty stingy with the compliments when it comes to the play of his team.
But after the Miners earned a comfortable win over region-rival Riverton Thursday night, he was smiling and paying his young players one of the highest compliments — they're working hard and learning.
"We start three juniors and two freshman," he said after Bingham defeated the Silverwolves 41-25. "Take a look at our losses — five of them are to ranked teams . . . We get beat by teams with good, experienced players. I haven't been 8-6 in a long time. But I don't care what coach you are, you can't build Rome in a day."
Rasmussen said his game plan against Riverton was just to play them straight up.
"You don't want (Jaimie) Crane to go off, and (Amanda) Hansen, the freshman, she's a good player, too," he said.
Bingham began to pull away from Riverton at the half when a basket by Miner forward Kris Hymas gave the team a 22-14 lead going into the break. They came out and right away began taking their time on the offensive end.
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"It wasn't an all out stall," Rasmussen said. "It was not being in a rush."
It paid off as Bingham ate up the clock and usually came away from several minutes of passing with a basket. The Miner offense was very even as six players scored in the win. Kris Hymas and Jenni Wright led the team's scoring with nine points each. Five of Bingham's players hit 3-point shots, which caused Rasmussen to grin.
"That wasn't necessarily the game plan," he said. "But they gave us room. And maybe that was their game plan because we haven't really been making many. They happened to fall today."
The Silverwolves seemed to grow increasingly frustrated with Bingham's constant pressure, including a full-court press. It was exactly what the team expected, said coach Ron Ence.
"We practice and prepared for it," he said. "We just didn't attack the basket like we should . . . Sometimes it's hard to create that game intensity in practice. Bingham just flat out-played us."
Crane led the team in offense with eight points.
In other games Thursday:
REGION 2
COPPER HILLS 50, WEST JORDAN 42: The Grizzlies used some pressure defense in the second and third quarters, then held off a Jaguar rally in the fourth to secure the win. Amy Valenzuela led Copper Hills with 13 points, including a 3-pointer.
BRIGHTON 50, HILLCREST 42: The Huskies gave the No. 1 Bengals a scare, trailing by just three points with three minutes remaining, but Brighton pulled away late to remain unbeaten in Region 2 play. Danielle Newell led the charge with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Becca Paulsen notched seven points and nine rebounds in the loss.
ALTA 57, JORDAN 42: The Hawks jumped in front early and eased their way through the second half to defeat the Beetdiggers. Dee Hanchett poured in 22 points for Alta while Kriten Almerico scored 17 points for Jordan in the loss.
REGION 4
MOUNTAIN CREST 47, ROY 45: Freshman Jayci Stewart hit six clutch free throws in the fourth quarter to give the Mustangs their first Region 4 victory. Lydia Whitehead added eight points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Mustangs.
SKY VIEW 48, BOX ELDER 38: The Bees fell behind by 13 at the half and could never recover as the Bobcats cruised to their third Region 4 win of the season. April Hansen led all scorers in the win with 13 points. Amanda Haycock paced Box Elder with 10.
BONNEVILLE 84, LOGAN 47: Bonneville's defense led to numerous Logan turnovers, easy shots and a blowout. Ninth-grader Jessie Baddley led the Lakers with 23 points, while Karlie Garrett had 20 and Ciara Florence 11. Jenny Miller led Logan with 10 points.
REGION 6
TIMPVIEW 66, AMERICAN FORK 47: Timpview took advantage of American Fork turnovers to turn a close game at halftime into a rout. Sarah Red led the Thunderbirds with 21 points, while Stephanie Red and Lindsey Freeze each scored 13. Shantell Durrant scored 11 for American Fork.
REGION 7
MOUNTAIN VIEW 66, TIMPANOGOS 48:Mallory Gillespie drilled five three-pointers and had 18 points to give the Bruins a key Region 7 victory over the Timberwolves.
REGION 8
NORTH SANPETE 49, EMERY 28:Alison Hamilton scored 11 and Bree Jensen-Riet added 10 for the Hawks in a drubbing of the Spartans. Natalie Hanson led Emery in scoring with 13.
REGION 10
JUDGE MEMORIAL 41, UINTAH 35: The Bulldogs were led by Katie Sabol's 10 points and four rebounds in a victory over the Utes.
REGION 11
MORGAN 85, BEN LOMOND 41: The Trojans outscored the Scots 37-6 in the first quarter en route to a big Region 11 win. Cheryl Blazzard led the way with 24 points. Chelsye Saulsberry and Amber Doolan notched 10 a piece in the loss.
BEAR RIVER 64, GRANTSVILLE 48:Brittany Blaisdell and Jessica Fronk scored 19 and 16 points respectively to lead a steady attack that propelled the Cowboys over the Bears. Emmi Nelson poured in 14 points in the loss.
OGDEN 49, TOOELE 28:Katie Adams scored 22 points, including five 3-pointers, as the Tigers overpowered Tooele.
REGION 12
NORTH SEVIER 51, GUNNISON 42: The Wolves used a big first quarter to jump in front early and outlast the Bulldogs. Kelcey Jensen notched 12 points and 17 rebounds in the loss.
MANTI 59, RICHFIELD 53:Lindsey Wintch scored 13 points and had six rebounds while Sarah Dettinger scored 22 to pace the Templars over the Wildcats. A huge free throw differential also contributed to the final score as Manti outshot Richfield 31 to six at the charity stripe. Brittani Willardson scored 11 points in the loss.
REGION 13
BEAVER 45, KANAB 22:Marcy Gillens had 16 points to boost the Beavers past the Cowboys.
ENTERPRISE 53, MILLARD 34: Enterprise used a big third quarter to put away Millard and remain unbeated in Region 13. Krystal Simpkins (nine points, six rebounds and two steals) and Erica Pickering (seven points, five rebounds and four assists) paced the Wolves. Shayla Stewart scored 11 in the loss.
REGION 14
JUAB 38, ROWLAND HALL 31:Sally Smalley and Tanya Hathaway combined for 21 points to give Juab the victory over The Winged Lion.
NORTH SUMMIT 50, SOUTH SUMMIT 37:Kortney Garfield had 13 points and eight rebounds to keep the Hawks undefeated in Region 14 play.
REGION 15
PANGUITCH 47, WAYNE 45:Halie Sawyer hit two free-throws with six seconds left to lift the Bobcats over the Badgers.
BRYCE VALLEY 55, PIUTE 17:Christina Cantu led all Mustang scorers with 11 points to help Piute defeat the Thunderbirds.
VALLEY 51, MILFORD 17:Jana Glover scored 17 points as the Buffaloes ran away from the Tigers.
REGION 16 N.
TABIONA 57, ALTAMONT 40:Stacy Stringham scored 15 points and Tracina Casper added 14 as Tabiona rallied in the second half to defeat Altamont.
RICH 54, MANILA 38: The Rebels used big second and fourth quarters to pull away from the Mustangs. Stephanie Anderson notched a game high 14 points for Manila in the loss.
REGION 17 N.
ST. JOSEPH 76, SALT LAKE LUTHERAN 31: The Jayhawks had four scorers in double-digits as they easily defeated the Lynx.
REGION 17 S.
CHRISTIAN HERITAGE 34, INTERMOUNTAIN CHRISTIAN 31: Guard Lynetta Mix nailed one free throw and two baskets down the stretch to help the Crusaders overcome a fourth-quarter deficit and defeat the Lions. Philicia Freidman and Katie Spence scored 11 each to lead ICS.
WATERFORD 48, LAYTON CHRISTIAN 44: The Ravens converted their free throws down the stretch while the Eagles struggled from the line as Waterford held on to notch the win. Annie Judd led all scorers with 19 points in the win. Marquina Gilliam had 17 points in the defeat.
REGION 18
EAST CARBON 32, WENDOVER 29:Samantha Madrid converted the go-ahead 3-point basket to lead the Vikings over the Wildcats. She ended up with a game-high 18 points.
TINTIC 47, WASATCH ACADEMY 21: The Tigers were held to just three field goals in the first half in a blow-out victory for the Miners, who were led by three players who scored eight points each.
WEST DESERT 33, MERIDIAN 32 (OT):Chelsea Allred scored 10 points, including the winning free throw with three seconds left in overtime, as West Desert defeated Meridian.
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