Layton» They said it didn't matter. They said their only focus was to win their annual News Years Eve day matchup against Layton.

But whether or not the Bingham girls' basketball team wanted to admit it, its 54-49 win over the Lancers on Thursday night was more than just another game. It certainly was for the dozens of parents and fans who spoke of the milestone in the foyer afterward. And it certainly was for Bingham's 22-year head coach, Rand Rasmussen, who earned his 400th career victory as the Miners improved to 8-2 on the young season.

Rasmussen had previously indicated he would not talk to the press until the Miners' eighth win of the year. He may have lost count because, following the win, he still left it to his assistant coaches and players to talk about the significance of the milestone.

Or not.

"We didn't really want to make a big deal of it," said sophomore Summer Yack, whose second-half defense and 10 points helped the Miners rally from a halftime deficit. "We knew the milestone was this year, but he gives the credit to the players."

"We didn't really think about it," assistant coach Cami Low said. "We were just focused on getting a win."

Sure enough, Rasmussen and the Miners got their win. But it didn't come easy.

After a neck-and-neck first quarter, the Lancers caught fire, driving inside for easy buckets and holding the Miners to just field goals for the majority of the second quarter. Even when the shot wasn't there, the long arms of Alex Green pulled down offensive rebounds to give the Lancers second-and-third chance opportunities. When combined with the spot-on playmaking of point guard Amber Daly, the Lancers were tough to slow down, leading by as many as nine before taking a 29-26 lead at the break.

But for the Miners, the three-point deficit was no reason to panic. Bingham stepped up its defense after the break, smothering the Lancers under the basket and forcing them to rely on their outside shot.

At first, it didn't hurt as the Lancers drained three consecutive three-pointers to open the second half. But Bingham's pressure eventually brought on the pain as the Miners held Layton to just those three buckets in the third period to turn a three-point deficit to a five-point lead by the fourth quarter.

From there, the Lancers shooting arm went cold and the Miners were able to pull out the win from the foul line over the final minutes, highlighted by three clutch free-throws from Brooke Blonquist in the final minute.

"Our goal is always to play the best defense we can," said Yack. "The only way we'll lose is if we allowourselves to get beat." 

 

Layton's Addi Moore is fouled by Bingham's Dezz Ramos during Bingham's 54-49 win. The win was No. 400 for Miners coach Rand Rasmussen, who is in his 22nd year with Bingham. (Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune)