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Syracuse High's Maylee Anderson, right, secures the basketball as Davis High's Chloe Peery defends in a Region 1 girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Kiara Zwonitzer handles the basketball against Syracuse in a Region 1 girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

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Syracuse High's Rachel McBride (12) drives against Davis High's Kate Willard in a Region 1 girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Emy Richards (23) drives against Syracuse's Brighton Goddard (4) in a Region 1 girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Syracuse High's Avery King (15) leans to attempt a shot against Davis High's Hannah Garlock in a Region 1 girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Syracuse High players cheer from the team's bench in a Region 1 girls basketball game against Davis on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Emy Richards scoops a shot against Syracuse in a Region 1 girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

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Syracuse High's Maylee Anderson, left, drives away from Davis High's Chloe Peery in a Region 1 girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

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Syracuse High's Karsyn Visser starts a drive against Davis in a Region 1 girls basketball game Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

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Davis High's Kate Willard throws a pass in a Region 1 girls basketball game against Syracuse on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Kaysville.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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KAYSVILLE — Depending upon your perspective, a 25-7 halftime lead in a high school girls basketball game is more than enough to win, or simply too large a hole to climb out of.

Syracuse had that 18-point lead over Davis at the break Friday night before seeing it shrink to 32-28 early in the fourth quarter.

In the end, the Titans made enough big plays down the stretch and captured the for-all-the- marbles Region 1 championship showdown with a 42-35 road victory over the Darts, spoiling their senior night while sweeping the season series.

Davis junior forward Kate Willard had back-to-back steals on the first two possessions of the fourth quarter, closing the gap to four points with 7:25 remaining.

But Syracuse senior captains Maylee Anderson and Rachel McBride countered with consecutive offensive rebound baskets as the Titans went up 36-28 and held on from there.

“That’s been our whole focus these last couple of games, getting offensive boards. That’s helped our team step it up; making sure we’re going for all the boards and getting putbacks,” Anderson said. “I thought, ‘I need to get this rebound.’ I knew the girl was a little bit smaller than me, so I thought I could take it back up.”

Anderson finished with 18 points, including a triple and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line, while McBride checked in with seven points and three free throws — two coming at the 1:08 mark of the final frame, giving the Titans (17-5, 7-1 Region 1) a 42-32 lead.

“I just want to be my 100% and leave it all out there; I did that and we were able to get the win,” Anderson said. “I like the ball in my hands; I trust myself to make the right play.”

Friday’s championship crown was the second straight for eighth-year Syracuse coach Braden Hamblin.

“It’s been a great ride. This is a great group of girls. It’s been really fun and I’m really proud of them,” Hamblin said. “It’s tough playing somebody the second time after you beat them the first time. On the road, you feel like your backs are against the wall. We have to come out against a hostile crowd and prove ourselves.

“Winner take all; they were not just going to give it to us. We were going to have to go out and earn it. Nerves are part of it. I thought the girls handled it well. We faced adversity and overcame it, and got it done.”

Maybe with senior night still top of mind, Davis (15-8, 6-2) made a crucial error early in the game after winning the opening tip.

An errant pass ended up in the backcourt and, instead of grabbing the ball for a turnover, Davis let Anderson grab a steal, drive the lane for a bucket and make the ensuing free throw for an early advantage.

“Getting the and-one helps bring the energy up at the beginning of the game. It helped our momentum,” Anderson said.

Davis coach Nicole Waddoups also saw that turnover as a key moment early on.

“We got the opening tip; I felt like we were punching, then they punched us and knocked us down in the first half,” Waddoups lamented.

Anderson followed with another basket and the Titans led 5-1 less than two minutes into the game.

That continued as Syracuse led 13-2 after the first quarter, resulting in the 25-7 lead after two.

McBride, Anderson, and fellow senior co-captains Karsyn Visser and Olivia Sorenson all had a hand in the first-half outburst.

“They have been great leaders and keep the team focused and ready to go. We were ready from the jump,” Hamblin said. “I was hoping we would start well. Our focus was intensity on defense, making life difficult for them.

“We’re long and lanky. We wanted to fly around on defense and make them second-guess their passes and their shots. We got offensive rebounds off their misses.”

It was a different Davis team that came out in the third quarter; the Darts won the period 17-7, cutting the Syracuse margin to 32-24 after three.

Willard scored six points in the first three minutes of that third quarter, when Davis opened on a 9-2 run.

“We didn’t talk about the first half in the locker room; the girls already knew. No need to beat them up over not playing well,” Waddoups said. “In the third and fourth quarters, we played Davis basketball. We had to be almost perfect to get back into the game. We tried. They really wanted it. It was ours to take.”

The Darts spooked the Titans in the second half but Syracuse had enough in the tank to hold them off.

“Basketball is a game of runs; they were 0 of 10 from 3 in the first half and I had a feeling they wouldn’t continue on that path. They made some shots and we got a little rushed, putting it up with 20, 25 seconds on the (shot) clock,” Hamblin said. It wasn’t until three minutes to go in the fourth quarter before we calmed down, breaking the press and executing plays to get a good bucket … silence the crowd and get our feet back under us.”

Willard paced the Darts with 10 points, while Chloe Peery and Hannah Garlock were next in line with four each.

Friday’s game was the regular-season finale for both teams ahead of Saturday’s 6A tournament bracket release.

“We’re going to enjoy this one, obviously. RPI comes out (Saturday) … then get refocused on Monday and get ready for state,” Hamblin said Friday night.