‘One last talk’: Syracuse girls short of 6A title game in Hamblin’s deepest run
Seven seniors, Titans fall to No. 6 Bingham in 6A semifinals
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- Syracuse’s Rachel McBride, center, heads toward the basket against Bingham during a 6A girls basketball state semifinal Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Syracuse’s Maylee Anderson, right, swings the ball around Bingham’s Evalyn Roberts during a 6A girls basketball state semifinal Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Bingham’s Evalyn Roberts (3) and Syracuse’s Karsyn Visser battle for a rebound during a 6A girls basketball state semifinal Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Syracuse’s Rachel McBride (12) defended by Bingham’s Evalyn Roberts (3), watches her 3-point try sail during a 6A girls basketball state semifinal Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Syracuse’s Mindy McNeil (44) rises for a short-range jumper against Bingham during a 6A girls basketball state semifinal Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Syracuse’s Maylee Anderson puts up a 3-point try against Bingham during a 6A girls basketball state semifinal Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Syracuse’s Karsyn Visser, center right, pushes against Bingham’s Quinn Porter during a 6A girls basketball state semifinal Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
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- Syracuse regroups along the bench during a 6A girls basketball state semifinal Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
SALT LAKE CITY — Perhaps the matchmakers got it wrong. Or, alternatively, No. 2 Syracuse and No. 6 Bingham were too eerily similar for their semifinal round in the 6A girls basketball state tournament to make much sense.
Syracuse, with all its length and experience of seven seniors leading the charge Thursday, appeared deflated and dejected as Bingham center Veanna Pau’u, amassing 12 points and eight boards in her team’s 44-34 comeback victory, celebrated her book-closing putback with the game clock rolling below 30 seconds.
Up by as many as seven points in the second quarter, the Titans, the last of Northern Utah’s reps booted from the tournament field, reached its first semifinal game in well over a decade just to come up short. Not just short, but 1 of 13 from the floor in the fourth quarter.
Seniors Rachel McBride (12 points, four rebounds) and Zaydie Peterson (seven points, eight rebounds) led Syracuse’s cause and provided key baskets tethering Bingham (19-8) within a possession at halftime and again in the fourth quarter.
But that fourth quarter, in particular, hinted toward the end when Bingham junior Evalyn Roberts nailed a 3-pointer to kick off the final frame. Syracuse wouldn’t catch fire again, and the best team of the Braden Hamblin era met its demise on the state’s biggest stage.
“That was a big momentum shifter,” Hamblin said. “They put a few big ones in the stretch and was able to pull away. It was a plethora of missed opportunities, misplays and missed shots.”
Syracuse last made the semifinals in 2012 during the program’s run under Rob Reisbeck. Rebuilding the Titans from far worse lows than Thursday’s loss, Hamblin will be parting with one of the deepest rosters of his coaching tenure upon returning home.
McBride, Peterson, guard Maylee Anderson (seven points) and center Olivia Sorenson (four points) are among those seven seniors who won’t don a Syracuse basketball uniform ever again.
“It brought tears to my eyes to give them one last talk in there,” Hamblin said of his seniors. “They’ve put in blood, sweat and tears to this program, a lot of them at the varsity level for three and four years. That group helped this program rise to levels it hasn’t been to in quite some time. They’re great kids, great teammates and great leaders.”
McBride, finishing 4 of 11 from the floor, led Syracuse with seven points in the opening half, which saw the Titans lead by as many as seven points with 6:49 to go in the second quarter.
Brizzy Cottle (seven points) snuck in the game-tying layup for Bingham for a 20-all contest at the break, and Peterson returned the favor for Syracuse with a last-second try rolling in to keep the Titans in contention at 29 apiece with eight minutes of basketball left.
Cottle and Lanie Smith (12 points) cashed in big buckets for Bingham in the fourth quarter, and Syracuse, answering once from the field with under five minutes to go, clung to a prayer as McBride pulled within eight of Bingham at the foul line with two minutes left.
“I don’t know if I could put it into words, but it was kind of heartbreaking for our girls,” Hamblin said as Bingham went up 10 with under a minute to play.
He continued:
“That’s who I felt it for the most, our seniors and our girls that’ve put in so much time and energy. I don’t think that was the ultimate showing of who we are as a team. The emotion gets even more when you get into the locker room. They’ve set a great standard.”
No, Thursday didn’t end up quite like Hamblin and Syracuse would’ve hoped for, but it’s hardly an indictment on just how far the school’s girls hoops team has come in recent seasons.
Winning this year’s Region 1 title, Syracuse produced its first pair of consecutive region crowns since winning three in a row from 2010-12.
Bingham will meet No. 1 Westlake or No. 5 Lone Peak in the 6A title game Friday.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
