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The Syracuse Titans may be newbies to the UHSAA sports scene, having only been in existence for three years, but their girls’ basketball program has made an instant impact.

After struggling to a 7-15 record in their first season, they announced their arrival to the scene with a 19-4 second season that ended in the semi-finals of last year’s girls’ 5A tournament.

The 2009-10 version of the Titans was a relatively young group. Led by Senior Jennifer Hazlett (17.17 ppg), Junior Kiana Fonua (10.16), and Sophomore-sensation, Brittney Martin (18.44 ppg), the Titans were constantly overlooked by their critics.

Observers questioned how good the young squad was because many felt that the Titans were dominating a weak region. “There were questions about how good we really were. The girls took on a personal goal to go out every night and prove we were the best team in the state," said Syracuse coach Rob Reisbeck.

Going into the 5A state championship game against Pleasant Grove on Saturday at Salt Lake Community College, the undefeated Titans, at 24-0, were beaming with confidence but knew that they faced a tall task.

Pleasant Grove’s Jennifer Hamson stands at 6’6” and had been impossible for anyone in this year’s tournament to stop. In the quarterfinal game against Clearfield she finished one block shy of a triple double with 28 points, 18 rebounds, and nine blocked shots (she would go on to make the all-tournament team). The key for Syracuse was to make sure that no one else from the Pleasant Grove Vikings would have a productive game.

"We said coming in that we were going to let Jen (Hamson) get hers and keep everyone else in check," said Reisbeck… and that she did, finishing with a game high 32 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocked shots.

The supporting cast for the Vikings went a combined 7-28 from the field and no one scored more than five points. Finishing the game with 28 turnovers, Pleasant Grove struggled throughout the game to break the constant full-court press. The Vikings made adjustments at the half that worked in breaking the press, yet the Titans were one step ahead as they continued to cause turnovers by the basket.

For the game, Syracuse was led by Hazlett with 27 points, five assists, and five steals as she would go on to be named tournament MVP. Martin was also a headache for the Vikings as she finished with 15 points, five steals, and three assists to make the all-tournament team.

While Syracuse was led by their dominant duo, it was the collective team effort that led to Syracuse’s first girls’ basketball title in their brief history as they came away with a 62 to 49 victory with the type of defense that causes nightmares.

"We needed to win this game to get some respect around the state," said Hazlett… and with the youth that comes back next year, their 5A dominance could just be getting started.