The Bingham girls basketball team is saving the best for last. 

The Miners dealt with a brutal preseason schedule, arguably one of the most difficult slates in recent memory. 

But Bingham [12-6, 4-1 Region 2] weathered the storm and is now reaping the benefits of having played some of the state’s best teams. 

“We’re doing well,” reported Bingham head coach Skyler Beard. “Got a big 68-67 win over Mtn. Ridge (Jan. 18) and in a 4-way tie for first in Region right now.” 

For Beard’s squad, the preseason might have been tough with a few potholes along the way, but it paved the way for what the Miners are doing in league play. 

After a tough 52-33 loss to a Copper Hills squad that is arguably one of the state’s best on Jan. 11, Bingham has settled into a groove. 

The Miners didn’t let that home loss sour their mood in their next game Jan. 16; they let the wizardry of transfer Addy Horsley do the talking [19 points, three rebounds and four assists] in a 60-45 dismantling of rival Riverton. Brianna Badonie knocked down three triples for 15 points in total, and Mak Horsley added eight points, five rebounds and three assists. 

Two nights later, Bingham was back in the gym at Mountain Ridge Jan. 18, ready to do battle against Addy and Mak Horsley’s former school. In a tense atmosphere, the Miners started slow, trailing 19-16 after one quarter of play. 

But Bingham evened the score by halftime at 32-32. However, a spirited Mountain Ridge squad burst out of the locker room and surged ahead by eight points, 55-47, to end the third quarter. 

That set the stage for a seesaw fourth quarter in which there were a dozen lead changes. But it was the play of Addy Horsley [20 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals] down the stretch against her old teammates that spelled the one-point difference of 68-67. 

Lena Casperson was also pivotal for Bingham, scoring 15 points and hauling in five rebounds. Brianna Badonie chipped in 12 points and had four rebounds, while Mak Horsley had eight points to go with four rebounds and three assists. 

For the Miners, Badonie has been leading the way in the majority of the games from a scoring standpoint; her 16.8 per game scoring average has helped the Miners as they head into the brunt of region play. 

Addy Horsley has also been instrumental in Bingham’s success; the transfer from Mountain Ridge is averaging 14.8 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and a whopping 2.7 steals. These are all per game averages for the junior. 

Addy’s older sister Mak Horsley has also stepped up big for Bingham. The senior is the Miners’ third leading scorer at 7.1 points per outing. Her 4.6 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals give Bingham that third scoring option that has proven big in recent contests. 

Junior big Lena Casperson is not only the Miners’ fourth leading scorer at 6.1 points per game—she is also the team’s leading rebounder, while junior Raylynn Richardson is hauling in 5.6 rebounds per game, second-best on this Bingham squad. 

There will be more battles to come, including a Feb. 1 showdown at Copper Hills (after deadline) that will occur after the Miners have played two home games at The Pit [49-42 win vs Herriman and Jan. 25 vs. Corner Canyon]. λ