Girls basketball: Kulpa, Jugler help Weber spring road upset on Syracuse
-
- Weber High’s Rylee Jugler, right, celebrates a play with teammates Jade Kulpa, center, and Bradey Schiffman during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Syracuse High’s Zaydie Peterson (10) leaps to shoot as Weber’s Jade Kulpa (5) trails during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Weber High’s Rylee Jugler (32) turns to shoot past Syracuse’s Mindy McNeill during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Syracuse High’s Maylee Anderson (2) surveys the Weber defense during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Weber High’s Jade Kulpa (5) dribbles against pressure from Syracuse’s Mindy McNeill during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Syracuse High’s Avery King, right, dribbles the basketball against Weber’s Summer Hallows during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Weber High’s Katelyn Arbon, right, passes from the post while Syracuse’s Karsyn Visser applies pressure during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Syracuse High’s Maylee Anderson dashes up court with the ball during a Region 1 game against Weber on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Weber High’s Summer Hallows (11) handles the basketball against the defense of Syracuse’s Maylee Anderson during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Syracuse High’s Alex Secrist (13) navigates the baseline while Weber’s Katelyn Arbon (10) defends during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Weber High’s Bradey Schiffman looks to pass during a Region 1 game against Syracuse on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Players on the Syracuse High girls basketball bench celebrate a play during a Region 1 game against Weber on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Syracuse High’s Alex Secrist (13) rises to shoot as Weber’s Abby Hall (25) contests the attempt during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Weber High’s Bradey Schiffman (1) throws a pass away from the defense of Syracuse’s Mindy McNeill (44) during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Syracuse High’s Olivia Sorenson (35) holds the basketball against Weber’s Rylee Jugler (32) during a Region 1 game Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
-
- Syracuse High’s Maylee Anderson (2) throws a pass to teammate Karsyn Visser during a Region 1 game against Weber on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Syracuse.
SYRACUSE — Weber High junior guard Jade Kulpa had the game of her life Friday against Syracuse, while teammate Rylee Jugler simply had another spectacular game in her sterling senior season.
The pair combined for 50 points, leading Weber to a 68-63 upset Region 1 road victory over Syracuse.
“It’s huge for us to win on the road. This is the first time we’ve taken down Syracuse; I don’t think the whole time I’ve been at Weber we have ever won,” Jugler said. “As a program, we’ve been building for three years now. It’s a great high.”
Jugler leads the Warriors with 12.9 points per game, so she nearly doubled her season average with 24 on Friday, while Kulpa netted 26 points, almost triple her average of nine coming in.
“That’s definitely a personal high for me. Our team works together well; good passing, good looks,” Kulpa said. “We had a lot of energy and grit throughout.”
The Warriors (10-5, 2-1 Region 1) needed that moxie during a game where they led by as many as nine points only to have Syracuse (11-4, 1-1) claw back into it.
Weber went up 40-31 midway through the third period on a Kulpa free throw, but the Titans rallied with a 10-0 run, taking the lead 41-40 late in the period on a rebound basket by Olivia Sorenson.
A Summer Hallows floater and a Jugler basket gave the Warriors a 44-41 edge heading into a wild fourth quarter.
“Everybody on the team has a good mentality; nobody puts their head down. … Every team we play, we can compete with,” Kulpa said.
Kulpa made a layup to open the final frame for Weber, but Syracuse countered with a 9-2 run, grabbing a 50-48 advantage at the 4:21 mark on Brighton Goddard’s basket inside.
That’s when Kulpa and Jugler stepped up, taking control down the stretch. Kulpa scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and Jugler had eight.
Kulpa scored on a drive to the rack and added the resulting free throw, giving the Warriors a 51-50 lead with 4:09 remaining.
“I saw the chance and took the opportunity; I knew I could help us,” Kulpa said. “I knew we were going to get on a roll there. That was the beginning to set us off. It set the tempo right there.”
Sorenson hit a free throw for Syracuse, tying it at 51, before Jugler nailed a quick jumper from the right angle, giving the Warriors the lead for good.
“I saw the window; it was the play we were told to run. You have to be aggressive,” Jugler said.
Weber won that competitive fourth quarter 24-22, closing on a 14-9 streak, narrowed by a 3-pointer from Goddard at the buzzer.
“We’re learning each game to respond and fight back. That’s something we’ve come a long way with, being together and staying solid,” Jugler said. “If they make a bucket, we’ll go and make a bucket right back.”
Seven of Kulpa’s 11 points in the fourth quarter came from the free-throw line and she was 11 of 15 for the night.
Enter Jugler, who scored eight points in the fourth period, including six from the charity stripe and 8 of 11 overall.
Jugler did most of her work inside against the 6-foot Sorenson and 6-foot-4 freshman center Mindy McNeill, but also stepped outside and buried two 3-pointers.
“I love to shoot the ball outside when I get the chance; it’s nice to spread the floor, but my favorite thing is to go to work inside,” Jugler said. “I’ve been playing against those girls forever, my whole high school career.”
Sorenson fouled out trying to contain Jugler and McNeill saw limited minutes, subbing for an injured Rachel McBride.
“Having Olivia in foul trouble didn’t help, but we kept it close. We overcame some things, but couldn’t get over the hump in the end,” Syracuse coach Braden Hamblin said. “I thought Weber played an excellent game. They took care of the ball and did a good job moving it and passing it through the lane to Jugler. She’s a great finisher.
“We’re trying to maintain our position in RPI and not take anyone lightly. They beat us in almost every stat category — steals, rebounds, assists,” Hamblin continued. “We got good looks that didn’t fall at crucial moments of the game. We needed contributions from other players, especially with Weber playing the way they were.”
Maylee Anderson split the difference between Kulpa and Jugler with 25 points for Syracuse, including four treys, but Goddard’s 12 points (three 3s) off the bench weren’t enough to offset the dynamic Warrior duo.
