For the second weekend in a row, the Summit High School girls basketball team played on the road in a tournament. After going 2-1 in the first tournament of the season, Summit racked up two more wins in the Kindness Classic girls basketball tournament from Wednesday, Dec. 11 through Saturday, Dec. 14.

Hosted by D’Evelyn and Lakewood High Schools, the Kindness Classic is a tournament that honors the life of Mackenzie Forrest. Forrest was a senior at Lakewood High School in March 2016 when she died in a one-car accident while driving on Interstate 70 near Frisco. According to the tournament organizers, Forrest was renowned for her passionate and creative presence on the court, but she was equally celebrated as a steady influence in her community and known for her compassion as well as kindness toward everyone she encountered.

Summit began the 2024 Kindness Classic tournament by facing Lakewood High School on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Wanting to add a third win to the team’s record, Summit played well against the Class 6A team.

From the opening tipoff, the two teams matched each other on both ends of the floor. After the first quarter of play, Lakewood led by two points, 11-9.

Wanting to claim the lead before halftime, Summit upped its effort in the second quarter, continuing to pass the ball across the floor and finding ways to score baskets. Summit scored a total of 12 points in the second frame in order to trail 22-21 at the midway point of the game.

Feeling like it may be able to knock off the 6A-basketball team, Summit continued to play tough and with energy in the second half. As has become a trend for Summit this season, junior Kenya Rodriguez lit up the scoreboard, driving to the basket for layups as well as stepping back for mid-range shots.

Rodriguez also helped on the defensive side of the ball, recording steals and blocking out Lakewood players for rebounds. The play from Rodriguez, sophomore River Close and junior Phoenix Meyer allowed Summit to take a one-point lead heading into the final quarter. 

Summit attempted to extend its lead, but Lakewood hung tough and tied the game at 45-45 at the end of regulation. 

With both teams fatigued from four, hard quarters of basketball, Summit and Lakewood both struggled to score in the overtime period. In the end though, Summit found the points it needed to lift itself over Lakewood, defeating the 6A team, 49-48.

Rodriguez recorded a double-double in the win with a total of 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Two days later on Friday, Dec. 13, Summit took on Class 4A’s D’Evelyn High School. 

The game remained close through the first half of play before D’Evelyn pulled away from Summit. After leading 37-22 at halftime, D’Evelyn secured a 74-46 win. Despite losing to D’Evelyn, Rodriguez continued to display her athletic prowess, scoring 32 of the team’s 46 points. 

Summit concluded the Kindness Classic by taking on fellow Class 5A opponent Sand Creek High School on Saturday, Dec. 14. Wanting to avenge itself after its loss to D’Evelyn the day before, the Tigers put together four strong quarters against the Sand Creek Scorpions. 

With Rodriguez and senior Avery Eytel playing pivotal roles in the game, Summit defeated Sand Creek, 56-34. The win advances Summit’s record to 4-2 overall on the season, one of the team’s best starts in recent history. 

“We have done really well so far,” Eytel said. “We have never started out the season with four wins in quite a while, I think. I am really happy for us. It shows that our team is developing well and learning their roles.”

According to the previous seasons database on Maxpreps, the Summit High School girls basketball team has not gone 4-2 through the first six games of the season for at least 19 years. 

Due to their standout performances throughout the Kindness Classic, Rodriguez and Eytel were named to the all-tournament team. 

After a fair amount of uncertainty at the beginning of the season in terms of how the team would be able to overcome its quiet nature, Eytel feels like the past two tournaments have helped boost the team’s confidence on the court. 

“We are still a quiet team and have a long way to go, but I think everyone is finding their place on the court whether that is scoring, defense or rebounding,” Eytel said. “I think we still need to work on communicating, but we are getting a lot better and have come far from the beginning of the season.” 

Summit will play in two more tournament games before heading into the holiday break. The Tigers will face Alamosa High School on Friday, Dec. 20, before taking on Centauri High School on Saturday, Dec. 21.

“I am really looking forward to playing a difficult team so we can rise to the occasion,” Eytel said. “I know against D’Evelyn we struggled with transition points. Coach said they scored like 31 points on transition on us, and we scored zero. If we can increase our speed of play, we are definitely going to be able to compete at the higher level.”

Summit will play its first home game of the season against Dakota Ridge High School on Jan. 14.