1 / 5

Syracuse junior Maylee Anderson brings the ball down the floor against Bingham on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Syracuse.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

2 / 5

Syracuse junior Olivia Sorenson (35) jogs off the court next to Syracuse head girls basketball coach Braden Hamblin, right, during a home game vs. Bingham on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Syracuse.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

3 / 5

Syracuse senior Aubri Stoker (5) puts up a 3-pointer during a home game against Bingham on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Syracuse.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

4 / 5

Syracuse junior Rachel McBride (12) lines up a free throw during a home game against Bingham on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Syracuse.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

5 / 5

Syracuse junior Olivia Sorenson (35) puts up a shot during a home game against Bingham on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Syracuse.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

❮ ❯

SYRACUSE — Olivia Sorenson had the final say on visiting Bingham’s final possession Friday night and the 6-foot junior center’s answer was a hard no.

Bingham senior Addy Horsley received a sharp pass inside the lane with four seconds to go and Sorenson delivered a game-winning blow to Horsley’s attempt, protecting the home court for Syracuse girls basketball and securing a precious 43-41 win in the process.

The Titans (9-2) held off repeated surges by the Miners (9-4) throughout the night, led by juniors Maylee Anderson (16 points) and Rachel McBride (15 points).

Senior Aubri Stoker added five points, junior Karsyn Visser chipped in four points, Sorenson added two points and senior Kyleigh Nielson, sinking her single point at the free-throw line, gave Syracuse the boost it needed with the clock winding down.

“(Nielson) scored one point but it was a point to win us the game,” Sorenson said. “She put her heart out there. … She knew she wasn’t scoring but she was locking down (Horsley). We went in knowing she was going to lock down (No. 5) and I think that’s what changed the game for us.”

Anderson nudged a low-scoring start by both teams with a pair of 3-point looks, helping the Titans branch out for a 10-4 first-quarter lead and building a double-digit lead by the start of the second quarter.

Led by sophomore Evalyn Roberts’ eight first-half points, Bingham mounted a 14-4 run over the next three minutes to retie the knot at 18-all. Visser, drilling a long two-pointer, handed Syracuse a four-point lead to work with late in the half, but Roberts sapped the lead to just one possession, with the Miners trailing 22-20, on a scoop-and-score before halftime.

During the break, Syracuse head coach Braden Hamblin reminded his group Bingham, outscoring the Titans 16-12 in the second quarter, was only getting amped up.

“We talked at the end of the first quarter about how basketball’s a game of runs,” Hamblin said. “Bingham is a good team, they’re not just going to roll over and die. … I thought they did a nice job of switching up their defenses all night long.”

The third quarter mirrored the first, with Syracuse pushing out front 30-25 with six more Anderson points leading the charge.

It wasn’t long before Bingham was right back at Syracuse’s door. Junior Stacia Peoples stole a loose ball and brought the contest to 30-all with 6:46 to play. Peoples later dropped a deep 3-pointer, trimming the Titans’ lead to one possession with less than two minutes left.

Even with seven fourth-quarter points out of McBride and another 3 by Stoker, Syracuse found themselves on the run with the clock slipping away.

“I think that’s a little bit of us not properly executing our defense,” Hamblin said. “They started to collapse and leave open shooters with two minutes left. We’ve got to be aware of what they’re trying to do at the end of a game down eight, so that’s maybe a mental lapse on defense there.”

McBride and Sorenson held a brief meeting late to iron out the task at hand.

“I think me and (McBride), as our bigs, came together and just talked about it,” Sorenson said. “We just talked about it and knew we had more force.”

Bingham managed to even things up on a near-perfect pass from Iman Finau to Lena Casperson with 30 seconds remaining, but it was McBride, fouled by Roberts, who built upon Nielson’s previous single free throw to give the Titans enough breathing room.

Hamblin and Syracuse knew the tall order before them on Friday, and Hamblin reiterated just how big of an answer his group provided to begin the new year.

“I challenged them before this game to be the tougher, physical bigs,” Hamblin said. “It’s a good opportunity here and they rose to the occasion.”

Syracuse next hosts Cyprus on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

BOX SCORE

Bingham 4 16 5 16 — 41

Syracuse 10 12 8 13 — 43

BHS (41): Horsley 13, Roberts 8, Peoples 8, Casperson 6, Finau 4, Richardson 2.

SHS (43): Anderson 16, McBride 15, Stoker 5, Visser 4, Sorenson 2, Nielson 1.

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