Bingham depth overwhelms upstart Northridge in 6A state quarterfinal


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TAYLORSVILLE — If Bingham is going to go far in the Class 6A state playoffs, head coach Charron Mason knows it’s going to take more than the Miners’ starting five.

Or even 10.

Depth eventually overwhelmed Thursday’s quarterfinal opponent.

Maggie McCord had eight of her game-high 11 points in the first half, and Bingham put 18 players on the court in cruising to a 61-36 win over Northridge in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A girls basketball tournament Thursday at Salt Lake Community College.

“I didn’t want it to be just five girls,” Mason said. “I knew it would take everybody to win this game. I wanted everyone to feel a part of this game as quickly as possible.”

Shanyce Makuei also had 11 points with 13 rebounds for the Miners (18-6), who got nine points from Jaycee Lichtie in a game where 18 players saw the court for Bingham.

“We have a strong bond on defense, and I feel like we knew where each other would be,” Makuei said. “We just knew our defense was strong.”

The Miners advanced to face Copper Hills (22-2) in Friday’s semifinals at 7:30 p.m. MST, a rematch of a non-region game earlier in the season.

“I’m really excited for it,” Mason said. “I’m excited that we get to play another game. It’s so fun, and we just want another game.”

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McCord scored eight points during the Miners’ 13-6 second-quarter spurt, including banking in a shot with 1:10 left for the final margin. Meanwhile, Bingham’s defense kept the Knights — who won their first postseason game since 1997 on Tuesday — in check.

“We’ve got some defenses that we mix in, and we knew we had to play team defense all the way through,” Bingham coach Charissa Mason said.

The Miners held Northridge’s Abigail Neff to five points and five rebounds and standout guard Brooklyn Perkins to just two points and one rebound. The Knights were led by Kendell Petersen’s 10 points off the bench.

“We knew they were going to be our toughest opponents yet,” Makuei said. “We were just looking to shut them down.”

Kasia Higgins stretched the Miners’ lead to 20 points, 38-18, with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Bingham’s subs took care of the rest — while the starters played the role of aspiring bench enthusiasts for much of the fourth quarter.

“The people coming off the bench are nervous, as always. But I think they are ready,” Makuei said. “We see in practice how good these girls can shoot and drive and defend.

“We know what they are capable of, and we are happy we get to show it in a game.”

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