The start of a new season is a nerve-wracking endeavor for any coach.

After laying the groundwork in practice over the first few weeks, coaches then take their teams to the first competition of the season and hope that they have done enough to prepare the team. Summit High School girls basketball coach Kayle Burns has once again properly prepped her team for the season, earning two wins and placing second overall in the team’s first tournament of the winter.

Summit kicked off its season in the first round of the tournament by taking on Prairie View High School on Thursday, Dec. 5. In the game, Summit was dominant from start to finish, defeating the Front Range team 54-21.

The next day, Friday, Dec. 6, Summit returned to Dakota Ridge High School in order to take on Sierra High School in the second round of the early-season tournament. Unlike Summit’s first game of the season, its game against Sierra was much closer in score and more competitive.

In the first half, Summit and Sierra both got out to slower starts, exchanging possessions and scoring an occasional basket. Trailing 10-6 at the end of the first quarter, Summit worked to score more points and cut into Sierra’s lead in order to advance to the championship game.

Junior Kenya Rodriguez began to come alive for the Tigers in the second quarter, scoring points and serving as an anchor for the rest of the team. Due to Rodriguez’s scoring and a strong defensive front from the rest of the team, Summit took control of the game and led 15-14 heading into halftime.

Summit expanded upon its lead in the second half, continuing to outscore the Colorado Springs team. With Rodriguez continuing to light up the scoreboard, Summit led 24-19 at the end of the third quarter.

On the precipice of a second win, Summit put Sierra away in the final quarter. Scoring a 11 more points, Summit advanced to the championship game with a 35-29 win. Rodriguez scored 21 points in the victory to lead the team in points.

“I feel like the tournament has been really good,” Rodriguez said. “We have all pushed ourselves with confidence. We were kind of nervous in the beginning of the first quarter, but we picked it up in the second quarter. I just feel like we did good.”

On Saturday, Dec. 7, Summit took on Class 6A’s Denver South High School in the championship game. Summit hung tough against the competitive 6A basketball program, but the team could not match the firepower of the Denver South Ravens. With a 67-30 loss, Summit took second overall in the tournament while Denver South was crowned the champions.

The Tigers are now 2-1 overall on the season and are set to compete in its second tournament of the season beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Summit will face Lakewood High School on Wednesday before taking on D’Evelyn High School on Friday, Dec. 13, and Sand Creek High School on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Summit will not play at home until after the holiday break.