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Davis High’s Kate Willard, left, drives around Syracuse High’s Mindy McNeil during a region girls basketball contest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse.

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Syracuse High’s Olivia Sorensen slides past Davis High’s Lydia Tarbet for a layup during a region girls basketball contest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse.

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Davis High’s Lydia Tarbet puts up a 3-point try in front of Syracuse High’s Zaydie Peterson, front, during a region girls basketball contest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse.

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Syracuse High’s Rachel McBride, defended by Davis High’s Kate Willard, right, gets a shot up during a region girls basketball contest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse.

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Syracuse High’s Karsyn Visser, defended by Davis High’s Chloe Peery, looks for an open pass during a region girls basketball contest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse.

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Davis High’s Kiara Zwonitzer, left, drives past Syracuse High’s Rachel McBride for a layup during a region girls basketball contest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse.

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Syracuse High’s Zaydie Peterson, defended by Davis High’s Kate Willard, right, puts up a 3-point try during a region girls basketball contest on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse.

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Davis High’s Chloe Peery runs onto the court as her name is called during the starting lineups before a region girls basketball contest in Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse.

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❮ ❯

SYRACUSE — Davis High junior Kate Willard needed both, and she got zero.

Trailing by one inside 16 seconds, Willard drew a much-needed shooting foul from Syracuse senior center Olivia Sorenson for a chance at the lead in a heated Region 1 girls basketball contest that had wrapped itself around both sides in the fourth quarter.

The subsequent offensive rebound from Willard’s second miss became a turnover on Davis senior guard Emy Richards in as few as 3 seconds. The Darts were forced to foul at the other end and Sorenson split her free throws for the win.

Willard left the court with a busted lip following a 43-41 road loss on Friday night, and second-year Davis coach Nicole Waddoups, if she had the chance, would put those foul shots right back into the hands of her 5-foot-11 wing.

“She wants to win so bad,” Waddoups said. “I never have to doubt her heart or her effort, ever. She is the kind of engine that propels our team our team in games. She played well again tonight. It’s tough beating Syracuse in that tough 2-3 (defense). … We had opportunities to win that game at the end.”

Willard’s 12 points led the road end while Syracuse senior point guard Maylee Anderson led the floor with 13. Anderson produced four points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead free throw to lead 42-41 with 16 seconds to play.

After Sorenson put the Titans (13-4, 3-1 Region 1) ahead by two, Willard went 2-on-1 with Syracuse, unsuccessfully, in hopes of netting a game-tying bucket in the game’s final four seconds. The Darts (11-7, 3-1) outscored Syracuse 14-11 in the fourth quarter.

Syracuse coach Braden Hamblin, now in his eighth season as the team’s head coach, knows you need to take some hits if you’re going to win region games in late January — and his team has the scars to prove it.

“I absolutely feel like we’re designed to finish those moments,” Hamblin said. “It’s good to be in those types of situations. We’ve been in a couple of them this year where we haven’t finished them out. I think about the Bountiful game, I think about the Blackfoot (Idaho) game, where a play here or a play there — I thought we made those plays tonight.

“It wasn’t a clean game, but good teams gotta find a way to win those.”

The Darts and Titans exchanged blows from the jump. Davis High’s Lydia Tarbet cashed in two first-quarter triples, and Syracuse senior captain Rachel McBride housed her six total points entirely in the first eight minutes of the contest.

Syracuse, trailing 15-13 by the end of the first quarter, penciled six different names into the scorebook in the second quarter. Anderson, Sorenson (nine total points), Mindy McNeil (nine points), Karsyn Visser (two points), Brighton Goddard (two points) and Avery King (two points) all found something from the field or the stripe to lead by five at the half.

Davis rendered Syracuse, coming off a 19-point output to end the first half, silent for four-plus minutes to begin the third quarter. Richards buried a triple for her only field goal in the third quarter, and the Darts tied things up at 36 with six more points from the field.

Tarbet (10 total points), Hannah Garlock (eight points), Kiara Zwonitzer (six points), Richards (three points) and Chloe Peery (two points) all played a role in overturning a five-point deficit at the half to challenge the Titans on their home floor.

“I was impressed with my whole team,” Willard said. “I know it’s hard to stay positive when you’re down, but each girl was lifting someone up.”

Syracuse snaps a four-game Davis winning streak with Friday’s home win, and now looks ahead to a nonregion matchup with nine-win Lone Peak on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Davis also returns home for a nonregion contest against lowly Corner Canyon, a team sitting at 3-14 on the season.

Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.