After Friday night’s game against Rifle High School was called off due to travel issues, the Summit girls basketball team finally got its chance to face Delta High School on Saturday, Jan. 28.

Tip off was a little over 30 minutes past the scheduled game time due to snowy traveling conditions, but once the game was underway in Breckenridge, Summit wasted no time trying to close out a spectacular month with a win.

Summit fought hard against its 4A Western Slope opponent, but was not able to come out with a win, losing to the Delta Panthers, 40-39.

In the first quarter, Summit fell into some early foul trouble with two quick fouls to start the game. 

Despite the fouls, the Tigers did not let the fouls inhibit them from continuing to be aggressive while trying to find a way to break through the Delta defense.

After the first four minutes of play, Summit sported a 1-0 lead with the Tigers’ sole points being scored by senior Joselin Lopez from the free throw line.

Delta started to find its groove in the latter part of the opening quarter scoring several baskets from inside the paint. 

Delta looked like it had the momentum on its side heading into the second quarter, but senior Autumn Rivera swung the momentum back to Summit’s side of the court with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, tying the game at 7-7.

Offensive rebounds, tough defense and movement helped Summit to build a lead in the second quarter. 

Senior floor general Paola Arredondo distributed the ball around the court while also putting pressure on the Delta offense.

Summit led for most of the quarter, but a late push from Delta at the end of the quarter led to several points from 2-point range. 

After 16 minutes of play, Summit and Delta were tied, 13-13.

“It was a lot of tough love trying to realize that is not our team,” junior Rose Rode said as she discussed what was talked about at halftime. “We weren’t running the plays in the first half as much and we weren’t as confident.”

In the third quarter, Summit struggled with ball security and turned the ball over several times. 

The turnovers led to quick fast-break points for the Panthers, with junior Kylie Huff scoring several baskets.

Beyond turnovers, Delta also passed the ball better in the first half. The passing cut through the Summit defense and led to additional opportunities right under the basket.

In the final minutes of the third quarter, Summit sought for a way to claw out of an 11-point deficit. Rivera scored several points from each side of the basket and helped bring the gap down to 7 points as the teams begin the final quarter with a score of 30-23.

Summit knew it needed a strong fourth quarter to win the game, and the Tigers offense did everything in its power to walk away with a win.

Fighting through contact to put points on the board, Rivera continued to be a force for the team.

With close to three minutes remaining, Delta led 36-25 and Summit stepped up to put in one final effort. 

Seniors Kelley Duffy and Brina Babich cut the score to 36-31 with under two minutes remaining. 

Coming off a Summit timeout, Babich brought the score within 3 points, while also blocking several Delta shots, bringing the score to 36-36. A steal from Duffey seconds later led to an open 3-pointer from Rode, which tied the game at 36 points with 32 seconds remaining.

A layup from Delta’s Aadrey Fraser put the Panthers up by 2 with under 20 seconds remaining, and the Panthers were able to hold out and win the game. Summit lost to Delta 40-39.

“I think we matched up really well against a really good team,” Rode said. “I think our team needs to be a little bit more disciplined in terms of fouling and defense otherwise I think we would have beat them.”

With the loss, the Summit girls basketball team closes out January play with a record of 6-2 to fall to 7-7 overall on the season.

“We are hoping to keep it going,” Rode said. “We are working for first in the league.”

Boys basketball team hang tough, pull out a 57-53 victory over Delta

The Summit boys basketball team also faced the Delta Panthers at home on Saturday. 

The Tigers hung tough against Delta, with seniors Jack Schierholz and Kyle Kimball putting up the vast majority of the points for the Tigers.

Like the girls varsity game, the boys varsity game came down to the wire. In the end, Summit’s fast-paced offense overpowered Delta to seal a 57-53 win.

Summit is now 4-10 on the season and 2-4 in league play.

The Summit girls basketball team will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 3, when it hosts Coal Ridge High School in Breckenridge at 5:30 p.m. 

The Summit boys basketball team will play again on Tuesday, Jan. 31, when it travels to Northfield High School in Denver. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.