For a team with aspirations of making a deep postseason run, Summit boys basketball got a gift just before the holiday season.

In their first true test of the season in a nonleague game against another program with similar lofty goals, the Storm came up with two defensive stops in the final 30 seconds to grind out a 57-56 win over Lake Oswego Monday evening at Summit High and remain undefeated through five games this season.

“At halftime we said this atmosphere feels like a playoff game,” said Summit coach Jon Frazier. “It was good for our kids to be in that moment. We haven’t had that pressure of having to execute in those last minutes of the game. I was really curious to see how our guys would respond.”

The Storm responded by never trailing the battle-tested Lakers (fresh off a win over Jesuit in their previous contest) at any point of the game. Although the lead never changed, Summit’s margin was slim throughout the contest.

Each time it looked as though Summit had captured momentum and would pull away, Lake Oswego would go on a run.

Likewise, when the Lakers gained momentum — like tying the game in the fourth quarter — Summit would regroup and build another, albeit narrow, lead.

Perhaps more impressively, the Storm won the game with one of their key players on the floor for only a couple of minutes.

As the first basket of the game went through the net, Summit suffered what would appear to be a major blow when one of its top scorers and defenders, Truman Teuber, left with a game-ending leg injury.

Whenever the Storm are in a tough spot, Frazier has a lot of confidence in senior Julian Mora, a four-year starter, to rise to the challenge.

“That is what he does,” Frazier said. “He just kind of reads the room and sees that this is a night where he had to get it going. There are nights that he gets other guys going and dishes out assists, but tonight he felt the moment needed him to step more into the scoring role.”

The 6-foot point guard carried the Storm offensively through the game’s first 16 minutes by scoring 17 of his game-high 27 points in the first half.

Whether it was knocking down 3-pointers, sending Laker defenders to the floor with his nasty crossover dribble, or finishing at the basket, Mora’s offensive effort was needed on a night when scoring was hard to come by.

It was not the first half scoring burst or the highlight-reel plays that were at the forefront of Mora’s mind after the win. Rather, it was a mix of annoyance of missing a free throw in the closing seconds that would have extended Summit’s lead, and excitement of getting a victory against a program with a proud tradition.

“I just care that we won,” Mora said. “I couldn’t care less of how I played if we had lost. It is just good to play good and to know that you beat one of the best teams in the state. Tonight was a fun night.”

Lake Oswego is now 1-5, but has been playing in national tournaments and against some of the state’s top teams.

After a scoreless first half, senior Caden Harris scored 11 points in the second half, including two dunks on the fast break. Senior Carson Cox had a key stretch in the third quarter, scoring five of his seven points.

“We knew it was going to take a little more to get the win with Truman out,” Mora said. “And I think we did really well at that tonight.”

Next week, Summit will host its 15th annual three-day tournament, the Summit Holiday Classic, during which 40 boys and girls basketball teams from Oregon and Washington will compete Monday through Dec. 30.