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

If Summit was feeling good fresh off their 56-26 takedown of Steamboat Springs last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Summit Tigers took a 48-36 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Salida Spartans on Saturday.

River Close

Steals

02/03/24 @ Basalt	4
01/25/25 vs Salida	2
12/05/24 vs Prairie View	2
01/21/25 vs Steamboat Springs	1
01/11/25 @ D'Evelyn	1

Summit's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was River Close, who posted seven points and ten boards. What's more, Close also racked up two steals, the most she's had since back in December of 2024. Avery Eytel was another key player, putting up five points and 11 rebounds.

Even though they lost, Summit smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 13 consecutive games.

Braeden Johnson was her usual excellent self, scoring 23 points in addition to five assists and three steals for Salida. Johnson is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Graysa Kindle, who put up ten points and seven boards.

Summit has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-8 record this season. As for Salida, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season.

Summit didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 56-55 victory against Eagle Valley on the 28th. As for Salida, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 43-23 win against Ellicott on the 28th.