Boys basketball: Romer’s big shots help Layton edge Syracuse in Region 1 battle
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- Layton High’s Sam Romer (3) splits the defense of Syracuse players Hudson Hess (1) and Carter Robinson (24) on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Bradlee Trejo (5) holds the basketball as Layton’s Karter Miller defends on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Layton High teammates Karter Miller (1) and Jonah Fullmer (5) vie for a rebound during a game against Syracuse on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Carter Robinson (24) rises to shoot past Layton defenders on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Layton High’s Josh Checketts (33) surveys the court as Syracuse’s Carter Robinson plays defense on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Layton High’s Chase Randall eyes the basket during a game against Syracuse on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Skyler Orton handles the basketball during a game against Layton on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Layton High’s Karter Miller (1) pulls up to shoot as Syracuse’s Cohen Godderidge (21) looks on during a game Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Carter Robinson (24) puts up a shot over the outstretched arm of Layton’s Sam Romer (3) on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Layton High’s Jonah Fullmer, right, tries to drive past Syracuse’s Hudson Hess on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Bradlee Trejo moves the ball up court during a game against Layton on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Layton High ball handler Jonah Fullmer, right, and Syracuse’s Skyler Orton (2) collide during a game Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
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- Syracuse High’s Skyler Orton (2) surveys the floor as Layton’s Jack Godderidge defends on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Syracuse.
SYRACUSE — In a tight, one-possession game, coaches will often lament several missed chances throughout the course of the contest.
And in a high school boys basketball bout between Layton and Syracuse, where 149 points were scored, there were ample opportunities to make a difference.
While the game can often boil down to a shot at the buzzer, the turning point Friday night may have come in fractions of a second at the end of the third quarter.
Layton junior guard Chase Randall was fouled with 1.7 seconds remaining in the period and made his first free throw for a 56-55 lead.
Randall’s second attempt bounced high off the back of the rim and deep into the corner near the Layton bench where senior guard Sam Romer chased it down.
Romer turned and launched a prayer that was answered, clearly beating the horn, and Layton (16-3, 6-0 Region 1) took a tenuous 59-55 edge into the final frame.
“Typically on free throws we try to get our own board; I told my team I was going to cross and luckily the ball bounced my way,” Romer said. “I went and grabbed it and hucked it up and hoped it went in. I just wanted to get to the 3-point line; I knew I was close.”
Syracuse (9-10, 2-4) got back within one point at the 5:50 mark of the fourth, but the Lancers made enough free throws down the stretch and escaped with a scintillating, 76-73 Region 1 victory.
The Titans closed to 68-65 with 2:44 left on a 3-pointer by senior guard Hudson Hess, but Romer splashed another 3 from the corner opposite his previous heroics and Layton held on for the win.
“Our team’s really good at running and transition, so I just ran to the corner and Jonah (Fullmer) passed the ball to me, and I knocked down a pretty easy shot,” Romer said.
Fullmer made a fast break layup and then four free throws in the final 33.3 seconds, totaling six points in the period.
“I made two early in the first quarter, so I knew to do the same thing. Think about too much and you’ll miss,” Fullmer said. “We’re used to these types of games. We had a lot of close games last year and learned from our losses. Slow the ball down in the fourth quarter and take good shots.”
Fullmer finished with 16 points, including the 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.
Layton blew the doors off with a 27-12 first quarter and maintained a good margin, 47-33, after two.
Sophomore guard Karter Miller had 13 points in the first quarter for the Lancers, tanking a trio of 3s, and scored 18 by the half. He finished with a game-high 22.
But Syracuse came all the way back to tie it 55-55 on a driving basket by sophomore guard Cohen Godderidge late in the third quarter, setting up the stunning sequence by Romer.
“This whole season we haven’t done a great job of keeping our foot on the gas; we need to come out in the third quarter with the same intensity as we have at the first of the game,” Romer said.
Romer netted 21 points for the Lancers with eight field goals, including the two from beyond the arc.
The Titans placed four players in double figures and it still wasn’t a formula for a win.
Among four starters, senior center Carter Robinson paced the Titans with 17 points, junior guard Skyler Orton added 16, Hess scored 11 and senior guard Bradlee Trejo tipped the scales with 10. Syracuse’s fifth starter, junior guard Beckam Rees, just missed double figures with nine points.
“We’ve been talking about team basketball and these kids play together; I love to see that many players in double digits,” Syracuse coach Greg Godderidge said. “Hudson led the team in the second half and we had a good supporting cast.”
Yielding a 47-point first half hurt the Titans and their rally after the break, where they just allowed 29 points, wasn’t quite enough to pull it out.
Syracuse couldn’t get a decent inbound play at the end and didn’t get a shot off on its last possession.
“The first half was not what we needed; we challenged our boys to stiffen up or defense at halftime,” Greg Godderidgre said. “Then he (Romer) threw it in … it’s the difference in the game.
“We had the unfortunate turnover at the end … just scrambling … but we had too many other turnovers at other times before that one.”
