Girls basketball: Syracuse duo catches fire at home to beat West Field
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- Syracuse High’s Rachel McBride, center, follows through a shot attempt as West Field’s Rylee Andreasen, left, tries to contest the shot on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- West Field’s Kylee Mueller (34) and Syracuse’s Rachel McBride (12) reach for a loose ball on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Maylee Anderson (2) lets a shot attempt fly in a game against West Field on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s girls basketball players celebrate a play during a game against West Field on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- West Field’s Rylee Andreasen handles the basketball in a game against Syracuse on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Zaydie Peterson (10) brings the ball up the court in a game against West Field on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- West Field’s Kylee Mueller (34) surveys the court as Syracuse’s Maylee Anderson (2) defends on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Zaydie Peterson (10) throws a pass in a game against West Field on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- West Field’s Kylee Mueller secures the basketball in a game against Syracuse on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Karsyn Visser looks to the basket in a game against West Field on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- A West Field player looks up court while handling the basketball in a game against Syracuse on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Syracuse.
SYRACUSE — The Alicia Keys song “Girl on Fire” has two powerful lines in addition to the well-known chorus:
“She’s just a girl and she’s on fire,” and “Looks like a girl, but she’s a flame.”
Syracuse senior girls basketball players Rachel McBride and Maylee Anderson were red-hot Tuesday night and combined for 41 points against West Field as their Titans rolled in an 85-50 nonregion rout.
These girls were on fire.
A 6-foot-3 wing, McBride splashed a trio of 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 21 points.
“I need to be strong down low, but I’ve been working on my shot. My coach (Braden Hamblin) is confident in me shooting the ball and says if you’re open, let it fly,” McBride said. “I feel like once you see one fall, you play a lot better and you can be more confident.”
Anderson, a do-everything point guard and floor leader, totaled 20 points, including four from well beyond the arc.
“I just shoot. … Coach says I have a green light, so I just shoot whenever I’m open,” Anderson said.
Teammates beyond the Titans, McBride announced after the game that she has committed to Northwest Junior College, where she will join Anderson next year in Powell, Wyoming.
McBride scored the first 10 points for Syracuse and the Titans paced a high-scoring first quarter, 22-16.
The offense continued to percolate in the second stanza and Syracuse went up 46-29 at the break. McBride finished the half with 15 points.
“I felt confident in my shooting; my 3s were falling … so I shot them. My teammates did a good job of getting me the ball,” McBride said. “It set the tone for the team.”
While West Field (3-5) couldn’t stop McBride, coach Hamblin did when he managed her minutes to around eight in the first half as she continues to recover from offseason knee surgery.
“I’m still trying to get back, working hard at getting my body in a good spot,” McBride said.
With McBride sitting and starting center Olivia Sorenson on the bench with two early fouls, Anderson orchestrated the dominant first half with subs that normally don’t see a lot of playing time.
Freshman Mindy McNeil came off the cushions to score nine points and sophomore Jasmine Burnett and junior Avery King netted seven apiece.
“We shared the ball really well and got everyone involved … scored on multiple levels,” McBride said.
Forty-six was a big number at the half, but the Titans were concerned with the defensive end where they allowed 29 — something they addressed in the locker room.
“Our goal was to get off to a great start, but in the second half we wanted to focus on our defense and not let them score,” Anderson said. “We held them to 21 and created some steals from our energy.”
One player the Titans concentrated on was West Field senior center Kylee Mueller, who had 12 points in the first half and finished with 14.
Freshman guard Kenzie Bagby also scored 14 for the Longhorns, but it wasn’t nearly enough, as Syracuse put 22, 24 and 25 points on the board (71 total) through the first three quarters before all five starters sat the final frame.
In a game bereft of free throws, Syracuse was 2 of 4 from the line and West Field was an efficient 9 of 11.
The Titans buried 34 field goals, with 14 coming from 3-point range, improving to 7-2 on the season with their most impressive outing thus far.
“Everybody was making 3s; everybody was contributing. That’s when we’re at our best,” Anderson said. “It shows we’re all working as a team.”
More from Alicia Keys:
“We got our feet on the ground.”
“And we’re burnin’ it down.”
High School Sports
Girls basketball: Syracuse duo catches fire at home to beat West Field
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