OGDEN — Most casual observers at the Dee Events Center on Wednesday hadn't seen it before, but according to Layton coach Kelby Miller, he's seen it many times over throughout Jarriesse Blackmon's four-year career.
Early in the fourth quarter, Bingham was on the verge of cutting Layton's lead to 47-46 on a seemingly gimme breakaway layup before Blackmon came out of nowhere. The 6-foot-7 senior swatted the ball away, followed it up with a 3-point play on the other end, and snatched back any momentum the Miners were building.
“I was just thinking, ‘make a play,’ ” Blackmon said. “Every basket, every possession is important, and we knew at the time that that basket could end up with us losing at the end of the game. So I’m not going to take that risk by giving up on the play.”
“I’ve seen that kid for four years, so I see it every day,” added Miller. “He has those big-time opportunities all the time and he comes up with those blocks.”
After Blackmon's block and 3-point play, the Lancers rolled, ultimately finishing with a 62-53 win and a trip to the 5A semifinals against Viewmont, which upset four-time defending champion Lone Peak.
Blackmon finished the game with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.
“You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who does more for their team,” Miller said. “I mean, just defensively (he’s) blocking shots, changing shots and obviously one of the best rebounders in the state. And then he can get it going offensively, like he did tonight.”
Turns out there was more than just one Blackmon playing big on Wednesday. Jarriesse Blackmon's younger brother, junior guard Julian Blackmon, also played big — particularly in the second half.
With the game tied 27-27 at the start of the second half, Julian Blackmon got his team going with two straight buckets to take the lead back and get his team going in the right direction. Julian Blackmon finished with 14 points and seven assists.
According to Jarriesse Blackmon, it was just another day at the office for his younger brother.
“He’s been phenomenal in the playoffs,” Jarriesse Blackmon said. “He’s been able to free up my game and everyone else’s. There’s not just Jarriesse Blackmon, but Julian Blackmon as well.”
After taking an early lead in the fourth, Layton finished Bingham off with solid ball-handling and perfect 6-6 foul-shooting down the stretch.
“We’re really good in those situations,” Miller said of playing with a lead late. “So there’s plenty of confidence for us because we know we have guys who can step up and hit foul shots and ice the game for us.”
As for Bingham, it was led by Yoeli Childs, who finished with a team-high 13 points.
Layton will square off against Viewmont on Friday at the Dee Events Center to decide who makes a trip to the 5A state championship game.
Email: bgurney@desnews.com
Twitter: @BrandonCGurney