5A boys’ basketball: Sixth man Gearig helps Bingham hold off Riverton

By Jon Clifford Special to The Tribune

First Published Feb 23 2015 09:41PM    •

Ogden • It stung Kyle Gearig early in the season when Bingham coach Jake Schroeder told him he wouldn’t be a starter.

The quarterback of a championship football team now coming off the bench in basketball? It was an unfamiliar role, indeed.

But Gearig learned to make the most of his opportunity as the Miners’ sixth man, and Monday night he scored a team-high 14 points in Bingham’s grind-it-out 65-58 victory against Riverton in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament.

“It makes me feel like I need to go be a spark and make an impact in the game as much as I can,” said Gearig, who scored half of the Miners’ final 10 points in the fourth quarter, after a quick nine points in his first minutes off the bench in the first half.

Bingham (20-3) advanced to play Layton or Hillcrest in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

The Miners had four players in double figures, none of whom was Yoeli Childs, their top scorer in the regular season. Childs missed a few minutes in the fourth quarter after he turned his ankle and finished with eight points. Bigger, though, were his five blocked shots and 12 rebounds.

Bingham’s size — the Miners start three players listed at 6-foot-8 — bothered Riverton (14-10), which settled for jump shots instead of attacking the rim. Bingham outrebounded its former region rival 42-24.

“One thing we pride ourselves on is our depth,” Schroeder said. “If we have other guys step up, it makes us tough to guard at times.

“Our length can be good for us and can be bad for us sometimes. Sometimes we like to rely on it too much and we let the offensive guys get by us.”

Jaron Jones scored 21 points and Jeff Arens added 17 for the Silverwolves, making their first state tournament appearance since 2012.

Mike Green (13 points), Jared Holman (12) and Josh Newbold (10) also hit double figures for Bingham, which led by as much as 16 in the second half before Riverton whittled it to just four in the final minute.

Gearig made Bingham’s final two field goals and the Miners made 6 of 8 free throws to preserve the win.

“I love those tight situations,” Gearig said. “I want the ball in my hands at the end.”