The first challenge couldn’t have gone much better.

Senior McKay Butler scored a game-high 25 points, including a perfect 15 of 15 from the free-throw line, leading Viewmont to a 68-39 rout of Syracuse on Friday.

Viewmont (10-6, 5-1 Region 1) hosts Fremont and Northridge, two teams jockeying with Weber to stay out of the region cellar, next week before a rematch with Davis (14-1, 6-0 Region 1) on Feb. 14. The Darts defeated the Vikings 61-57 on Jan. 21, dealing Viewmont its lone region loss.

“Got to win your home games,” Viewmont coach Jeff Emery said. “If you’re going to challenge for the region championship, you’ve got to win your home games, so we’ve got to make our hay right here tonight and our two ball games next week.”

Senior Josh Thalman led Syracuse (6-10, 3-3 Region 1) with 13 points while collecting a double-double with 10 rebounds. The Titans have lost three straight after winning three straight to start region play.

Senior Josh Herfel, Syracuse’s leading scorer entering the game, scored the first five points against Viewmont to give the Titans an early 5-0 advantage, but didn’t score again for the rest of the game. He finished just 2 of 10 from the field and 1 of 6 from 3-point range.

The Vikings especially clamped down on the defensive end in the second quarter, outscoring the Titans 21-4. Syracuse made just 2 of 13 from the field in the period.

“We went to a triangle-and-two and kids did a great job executing,” Emery said. “That was the difference. That’s what got us the lead we had and then that put a lot of pressure on them in the second half.”

Syracuse never got closer than 18 the rest of the game while Viewmont made 11 of 12 from the free-throw line in the final quarter to stave off any drama.

Overall, Viewmont made 24 of 28 free-throw attempts.

“We’ve been shooting pretty decent from the line,” Butler said. “It’s very important for us. That’s why we (beat Layton) — because of our free throws — so it’s been big for us.”

Syracuse looked unflappable at the start, making four of its first five field-goal attempts, but Butler kept the Titans from moving too far ahead with a pair of 3s. Viewmont closed out the first quarter on a 5-1 run to take a 13-12 lead.

The Vikings used a 6-0 run early in the second quarter to extend their lead to eight and then finished off the half with 12 straight. Viewmont led by as many as 24 in the third quarter and scored the last seven points of the game.