Boys basketball: Robinson dunk spurs Syracuse past visiting West Field
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- Syracuse High’s Skyler Orton (33) rises to shoot as West Field defenders Daxton Laughter, left, and Karter Rich, center, defend on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- West Field’s Drew Faddis, left, prepares to shoot as Syracuse’s Carter Robinson looks on in a game Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Nakoy Daw (35) lifts for a jump shot over West Field’s Drew Faddis on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- West Field’s Jaden Fowers (2) secures the ball away from Syracuse’s Skyler Orton (33) on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Cohen Godderidge (5) brings the ball up as West Field’s Daxton Laughter (3) readies to defend on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- West Field’s Drew Faddis (24) looks at Syracuse defenders Cohen Godderidge (5) and Drake Semrow (23) on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Drake Semrow (23) looks for a teammate as West Field’s Maddux Purser (12) applies pressure on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- West Field’s Cason Malan (21) swins the ball around the perimeter as Syracuse’s Nakoy Daw (35) defends on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- West Field’s Daxton Laughter, left, tries to drive past Syracuse’s Bracken Lessey on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High students cheer during a boys basketball game on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Cohen Godderidge drives the basketball against West Field on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Syracuse.
SYRACUSE — Dunking the basketball in a high school game can be a tide-turning event, maybe never more so than Syracuse senior Carter Robinson’s slam against West Field on Friday night.
West Field had clawed back from a seven-point halftime deficit to take a 36-35 lead late in the third quarter when Robinson flushed a go-ahead dunk at the 1:38 mark.
“We drew my defender away and it got to me; I knew as soon as I got it, I’m going up and I’m dunking it,” Robinson said. “Whenever someone dunks, you can feel the energy rise up; all of our teammates are loose … a big booster for our squad.”
That play sparked a 22-6 run which lasted midway into the final frame, capped by a Skyler Orton 3-pointer with 3:22 remaining, putting Syracuse up 57-42.
Syracuse survived the brief third-quarter scare and blew the doors off in the fourth period, whipping West Field in a 68-49 wipeout.
The Titans (5-3) corralled the Longhorns 27-11 in the fourth quarter, turning the tight game into a trouncing.
Robinson scored a game-high 24 points, including eight points on his signature dunks.
“This game I wanted to dunk everything; it happened during the pace of play,” Robinson said.
He was also hot in the first quarter, scoring 10 points in a more conventional way — with a layup, a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws — as the Titans led 14-11 after one.
“I was locked in. I wanted this one bad because we have a history with that school,” Robinson said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry; it’s not a rivalry, but three of their coaches used to coach here and I was motivated for the game to do good.”
West Field coach Mike Russell coached at Syracuse from 2021-2023 and understands the dynamics, with a slightly different take.
“I have a couple of players who have some connection and ties here, so it was an emotional game for them,” Russell said. “Skyler played for me as a freshman and Carter was just coming in so I’m familiar with them. I love Syracuse. Other than tonight, I hope they win all their games.”
Another 14-point quarter gave the Titans a 28-21 advantage at the break.
“All of us came together. The past few weeks, our offense has been going really well for us,” Robinson said. “We’ve stayed away from ‘iso’ ball and now we see each other as our greatest weapons. If you don’t have a good night, more than likely another guy will.”
There were some underlying currents in the first half that made the Syracuse lead more precarious than it appeared heading into the third quarter.
“We had a lot of guys in foul trouble and were trying to be overly cautious. … That led to a less-than-ideal defense, and we let West Field back in it,” Syracuse coach Greg Godderidge said.
The Longhorns (3-4) stampeded to an 11-4 run to open the third stanza and finally caught Syracuse at 32-all on a rebound basket by Cason Malan midway through the quarter.
After Longhorn sophomore Drew Faddis gave them a brief lead, an Orton 3-pointer and two free throws by West Field guard Daxton Laughter made it 36-35 and set the stage for Robinson’s dunk.
“We didn’t come out with energy … we came together after a timeout. We want this, we need this, we’re going to go out and get it,” Robinson said.
The 22-6 run followed and Syracuse won easily down the stretch as both teams sat their starters.
“The foul count was not going our way, which kept the game closer, but once we get momentum going, it just flows,” Godderidge said. “It starts on the defensive end and we responded by putting the pressure on.”
Russell was disappointed that the game got away from the Longhorns after getting back to even.
“We battled back and made a game of it. We didn’t shoot well from the free-throw line all night and missed some other shots that would have given us some life,” Russell said.
Faddis led West Field with 19 points, while Laughter went 8 of 10 from the free-throw line for most of his 10 points. Malan netted nine points.
Orton and Colton Hoenigman both scored 13 points for Syracuse.
“I’ve got three varsity (senior) starters who are doing awesome things (Robinson, Orton and Bracken Lessey) and junior guards (Cohen Godderidge and Hoenigman), giving us the punch we need when we need it,” Greg Godderidge said. “Our defense is getting much better; we’re learning to play together as a team and have some great support off the bench. I love what I’m seeing right now.”
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