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Syracuse junior Maylee Anderson (2) puts up a 3-point attempt vs. Lone Peak during the 6A girls basketball quarterfinals on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

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Syracuse senior Kyleigh Nielson (23) races through traffic during the 6A girls basketball quarterfinals on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

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Syracuse senior Aubri Stoker (5) watches Lone Peak freshman Charli Warner (1) closely during the 6A girls basketball quarterfinals on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

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Syracuse junior Maylee Anderson (middle, 2) wades through two Lone Peak defenders during the 6A girls basketball quarterfinals on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

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Syracuse junior Rachel McBride (12) looks around Lone Peak junior Lave Holdcraft (21) during the 6A girls basketball quarterfinals on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

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Left to right: Syracuse senior Aubri Stoker (5) and junior Rachel McBride (12) listen to head coach Braden Hamblin (kneeling) during the 6A girls basketball quarterfinals on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

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❮ ❯

SALT LAKE CITY — Considering their reputation heading into the 6A girls basketball tourney, it’s safe to bet No. 2 Syracuse carried few doubts about themselves entering Monday’s quarterfinal with No. 7 Lone Peak at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

But an uncharacteristic start coupled with a 20-6 Lone Peak run during the third quarter foreshadowed a 56-30 upset, bringing an abrupt end to the Titans’ postseason hopes.

Lone Peak meets No. 6 Davis in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Down four at halftime, Syracuse — ending its campaign 20-4 with its first region championship since 2012 — sought to reorganize itself offensively after finding the rim just twice in the second quarter. But two 3-point baskets by Kennedy Woolston, leading the Knights (18-7) with 13 points, soon became five in the second half.

Aubri Stoker, one of Syracuse’s four seniors, detailed the frantic third quarter:

“We were in shock,” Stoker said. “We fell apart when they started hitting their 3s and we didn’t respond. That’s the most frustrating because we’ve been in these situations and responded much better. … We just needed to play harder and I think we kind of rolled over.”

Junior Maylee Anderson led the Titans, finishing just 13-of-41 from the field, with 11 points and four rebounds. Fellow junior Rachel McBride grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and six more points.

After the first quarter, Syracuse registered no more than two field goals in a single quarter for the remainder of the game. Lone Peak outrebounded the Titans 37-28 and tallied 10 total steals compared to the Titans’ three; Syracuse didn’t live up to its reputation defensively, Stoker said.

“There was something missing tonight,” Stoker said. “The region champs, that team, if we’d played like that it would’ve been a completely different outcome.”

Anderson, hitting a much-needed 3-pointer with 3 minutes left in the second quarter, kept Syracuse in the conversation despite their offensive struggles in the first half. Woolston’s third 3-pointer, falling 45 seconds into the third quarter, signaled a game-defining run by the Knights.

Five separate players joined the 3-point shooting column for Lone Peak, with Woolston’s 3-of-9 run behind the arc leading the floor.

Down 18 to begin the fourth quarter, Syracuse managed just two makes at the basket as the Knights strolled out the door. Despite their turnover troubles, the Titans finished the night on a high note — just two total fouls — to 11 racked up by Lone Peak.

With the loss, Syracuse head coach Braden Hamblin made a difficult postgame speech — one he’s given to several teams across multiple sports in his tenure as a coach.

“It’s a tough job,” Hamblin said. “It’s always a hard time of year having to say goodbye to seniors and all of that. Especially this season, I feel like that wasn’t us tonight so it’s even harder to swallow when it ends like that.”

BOX SCORE

Syracuse 13 7 6 4 – 30

Lone Peak 13 11 20 12 – 56

SHS (30): Anderson 11, McBride 6, Nielson 5, Sorenson 4, Vissor 4.

LP (56): Woolston 13, Nordstrom 12, Harness 9, Pope 7, Holdcraft 6, Warner 5, Folau 4.

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