After the Bingham Lady Miners lost 57-45 to Cedar Valley on Senior Night Feb. 10, something happened. Something difficult to put into words, but on Feb. 12 head girls basketball coach Hector Marquez wrote down one word for his girls to see before their game against Riverton.  

“Before every game, I would simply write ‘Believe’ on the whiteboard,” Marquez said. “They started to play with a lot more confidence, and they started to play for each other. They started to believe. It was truly beautiful to see them grow up right in front of our eyes.” 

That Bingham did, thumping their crosstown rival by the final score of 51-24 behind a 14-point, 10-rebound night from Veanna Pau’u, 14 from Brizzy Cottle and 12 from Evy Roberts. 

“We had some really good practices leading up to that game against Riverton, and the girls played exceptionally well,” said Bingham’s second-year coach. “That was a lot of fun, and the girls really enjoyed it.” 

That ended the regular season for the Lady Miners, who finished with a 6-6 record in Region 2, a 15-8 overall mark and a 6-seed and first-round bye for the 5A state tournament. 

Bingham’s first opponent at state? Skyridge. According to Marquez, it was a tough second-round matchup against a perennial state power Feb. 19, and the visitors from North Utah County proved a worthy adversary. 

“The next game was against Skyridge, and although it wasn't our best win, you could see the team's growth, and we started to believe in ourselves,” Marquez said. 

The game was tied 12-12 after one quarter—but the Lady Miners outscored Skyridge 20-3 in the second quarter and hung on for a 60-57 win in which Roberts knocked down five 3s and scored 17 and Stacia Peoples added 10 points and 9 assists. 

Captained by Roberts and senior Peoples, these Lady Miners weren’t done undergoing a bit of adversity against … Cedar Valley. They were the same team that embarrassed Bingham on Senior Night, sending three seniors—including Peoples—home a bit unhappy on Feb. 10 . 

What a difference 15 days makes. 

Though the Lady Miners trailed 34-26 at the half, and then looked buried at one point in the third quarter down as many as 15 points, they dug out of the mess with a 23-point fourth quarter powered by Roberts’ four 3s and 18 points and Peoples’ 13 in No. 6 Bingham’s come-from-behind, 60-57 victory against No. 3 Cedar Valley in the state quarterfinal. 

That win over the Aviators—the Lady Miners’ first in three tries this season—seemed to flip a switch in Bingham. 

From that point forward, this squad that Marquez deemed “The Believe Team” didn’t even seem fazed by being down 11-9 after one quarter to No. 2-seed Syracuse, a team that lost to Bingham 49-45 earlier in the season. 

The Lady Miners knotted up the state semifinal 22-22 by scoring 13 second-quarter points, and it stayed tied through three quarters of action at 31-31. 

But Bingham scored 15 fourth-quarter points and held Syracuse to just 5, rolling to a 44-34 win against the Titans. For the game, Lanie Smith drilled four 3s for 12 points and Pau’u added 12 along with 8 rebounds. 

On a night when Syracuse’s game plan was to limit Roberts, who was held to 7 points, Bingham got what it needed from others including 7 from Cottle and 4 from Avery Aiono. 

Could these Lady Miners possibly put one more magical run together against No. 1 Lone Peak in the state championship game? 

It’s awfully hard to count out a group of girls that calls themselves “The Believe Team.” It’s also hard to believe that Skyler Beard’s kids that were mostly freshmen and sophomores a few years ago, are all grown up. 

It’s also been a sight to see what the new head coach Hector Marquez has been able to get out of these kids that lifted Bingham to a resounding 49-33 win over the Knights to win its second state title in six years. Peoples’ 14 points, Pau’u’s 10, Cottle’s 9 and Roberts’ 7 were too much for Lone Peak, who only managed to score 15 first-half points. 

In Marquez’ eyes, two people above all were responsible for the Lady Miners’ first state title in six years. 

“I really think our two captains powered it (Evy Roberts, Stacia Peoples). As a coaching staff, we did everything we could to put them in a position to succeed, but we all know that when the players buy in and just play for each other, that is when you get the best out of every player that sets foot on the floor. 

I will never forget this group and how they taught me to "Believe." They earned my trust throughout the year. We had so many fun memories in practice, and it was just a magical group.” 

Hector Marquez, seen here in a game last season, helped guide the Miners to its first state title in six years. (File photo City Journals)