The third road matchup was the charm for the Summit Tigers, as they earned their first road win of the season. They had just enough and edged Palisade out 56-54. For Summit, this counts as revenge for the 54-48 defeat Palisade walked away with the last time they faced one another back in January of 2023.
Summit's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Sam Eldredge led the charge by scoring 15 points along with seven rebounds. Those 15 points set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Eduardo Gutierrez, who scored 14 points.
Palisade's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was LJ Ballenger, who scored 15 points. Those 15 points set a new season-high mark for him. Fred Moore was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with seven rebounds.
Summit now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Palisade, they now have a losing record at 5-6.
Summit won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Silver Creek at 5:00 p.m. on January 5th. Silver Creek presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Summit in Colorado (Silver Creek is ranked 23rd, while Summit is ranked 200th). As for Palisade, they will head out on the road to face off against Rifle at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
