It wasn’t only heating up outside but also inside the Community Center as the Border Showdown got an early start to the season as the younger Tigers and Jayhawks battled it out Saturday afternoon.

While both teams looked to push the ball up court, the kindergarten Tigers took advantage of a trio of guards to defeat the Jayhawks 22-12.

“They did a great job of hustling all game and having fun,” said Tiger substitute head coach Rik Abrahamson. “They’ve really come a long way from the first week of the year. It’s fun to see them enjoying themselves out there.”

The Tigers gained the early momentum after Jalen Dudley opened the scoring for the Tigers with a deep two. Dudley kept the Jayhawks on their heels with his ability to attack the basket and hit the open outside shot. Offensively, Dudley led the Tigers with a game-high eight points on the day.

On the defensive side of the ball, Keenan Garber-Turner led the Tigers with tenacious defensive. If he wasn’t disrupting the passing lane, Garber-Turner could be found hitting the deck diving for any loose ball. Garber-Turner’s hustle play on defense helped jumpstart the Tiger offense.

However, the Jayhawks would not give in easily. Curtis Wesley took control of the Jayhawk offense using his agility to glide through the Tiger defense. Wesley’s other key contribution came off an inbound steal, when he went coast-to-coast to finish with a breakaway lay up.

On the defensive side of the ball, Taylor Covert led the Jayhawks with three steals and five rebounds. With her quick feet, Covert was able to play pressure defense and stall the Tiger attack.

In the end, the play of the Tiger guards proved to be too much for the Jayhawks to contain. The third of the Tiger trio, Kyle Abrahamson, contributed with six points on the day. While Abrahamson’s was a scoring threat all game, his biggest contribution might have been his play on the boards. Abrahamson was able to wrestle the ball from Jayhawk players and take advantage of the point-blank shots giving the Tigers the early rivalry win.