Class 5-A Championship: Bingham win a 'dream'

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WEST VALLEY CITY - Brett Sommerville made the shot that dreams - and legends - are made of.

With the Class 5-A boys' basketball championship game tied in the final seconds, the Bingham guard got the ball in his hands after a missed Riverton foul shot. He charged up the court, full-speed as always, and nailed an 8-footer just to the right side of the key to give the Miners the 61-59 win over Riverton. It is their first state basketball championship since George Sluga coached the team in 1990.

For Sommerville, it took a few minutes for his shot to sink in.

"Did this really happen?" Sommerville thought while he was being mobbed by his teammates and coaches. "This is the stuff you dream about as a kid."

Making the moment even more satisfying was that his best friend, Sloan Baker, set a screen for him to give him just enough space to square up for the game-winning shot.

"It's scripted," Sommerville said. "It's like, that stuff doesn't happen in life. I love Sloan. He's my best friend. We do everything together. It's a dream come true."

Riverton's Eric Dearden nearly made the Miners' night a nightmare. Riverton trailed 59-58 and got the ball to Morgan Grim at close range. Grim missed, but Dearden, one of the shortest players on the floor, got the offensive rebound and was fouled. He made the first to tie the game, but missed his second attempt.

Before Dearden stepped to the line, the Miners already had their plan in place. Believing that Dearden would miss one of the shots, Bingham schemed to have Sommerville bring the ball up the court, get a high screen from Baker, and take the last shot.

"Brett was shooting the last shot no matter what because he's the best player in the state of Utah," Mark Dubach said.

The Miners' title win was a microcosm of their championship season. They started fast, hit some bumps, and then finished strong.

The Silverwolves made their first eight shots in the second quarter and had control with a 32-19 lead. Bingham cut into Riverton's advantage, and despite allowing the Silverwolves to shoot 58 percent from the field in the first half, trailed by just seven at halftime.

"I was disappointed they came out and lit us up, but I wasn't rattled," Dubach said. "I knew our kids would bounce back. They've done it a lot."

Bingham came to tie the game by the end of the third quarter and a three-point play early in the fourth by Sommerville - who else - put the Miners back in the lead. The Miners led 59-54 with two minutes remaining, but was unable to put Riverton away. Still, Bingham never doubted which team was going to prevail.

"Once we took the lead, I knew we were going to win the game," Sommerville said.