Basketball Recap: River Close's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Summit over Eagle Valley

Summit was the 56-55 winner over Eagle Valley when they last played one another back in January, but their luck changed this time around. The Summit Tigers took a 46-31 bruising from the Eagle Valley Devils on Thursday.

Summit's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was River Close, who went 5-for-10 to rack up 12 points and seven rebounds. Marly Lovett also deserves some recognition as she scored her first points of the season.

Even though they lost, Summit smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.

Eagle Valley got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Addison Mandeville out in front who went 5-for-6 on her way to 16 points. The dominant performance also gave Mandeville a new career-high in field goal percentage (83%). Another player making a difference was Abby Talbot, who almost dropped a double-double with ten points and nine boards.

Summit's defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 12-9. As for Eagle Valley, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 10-11 record this season.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Summit will challenge Battle Mountain at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Summit is facing Battle Mountain at the right time seeing as Battle Mountain is stuck on a six-game losing streak. As for Eagle Valley, they will take on Glenwood Springs at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.