Intermountain Conference: Crook County Upsets Summit 55-47

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>This game recap uses rankings from the <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2026/01/top-12-teams-in-5a-springfield-and-silverton-rise-in-week-7/?itm_source=parsely-api">Top 12 in 5A</a> by Nicole Prose</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5A No. 12 Crook County Cowgirls, who won the 4A Tri-Valley Conference last season, upset the No. 9 Summit Storm 55-47 in an Intermountain Conference road battle on Friday night. The Cowgirls took the lead early in the first quarter, led by as many as 10 points in the second, and held on despite Summit narrowing the deficit to one possession early in the fourth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crook County freshman Mckinley Sloper led all scorers with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and a block. Sloper knocked down midrange jumpers, finished around the rim, hunted passes for fastbreak layups, and got to the free-throw line. She posted up, was strong with the rock, had good footwork, and created looks inside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Point guard [player_tooltip player_id='832542' first='Anna' last='Bales'] added 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Cowgirls. Bales connected twice from three-point range and found the lane to the basket on multiple occasions. The junior leader took care of the ball, created for others, and managed the clock when her team had the advantage late in the fourth quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/box-score {"name":"acf/box-score","data":{"game":["1485244"],"_game":"field_6a1b2c3d4e5f7"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69754f73cfd75"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game tipped off to a slow start as it took some time for both teams to settle in on offense. The first points of the match were netted nearly halfway through the first quarter when Summit junior [player_tooltip player_id='1229215' first='Jade' last='Durfee'] assisted senior [player_tooltip player_id='991261' first='Kalyn' last='Christ'] in the middle of the paint with an alley-oop lob pass from a baseline inbound play. Durfee went coast to coast on the next time down, beating her first defender with a hesitation and the help defender with a eurostep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Durfee finished the game with 9 points and 4 assists, and Christ added 7 points and 4 blocks for the Storm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With about 3 minutes left in the frame, Crook County finally netted its first points of the game from Sloper, who sold the shot fake at the top of the arc, drove, spun, and pulled up from inside the key.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cowgirls proceeded to go on an 18-4 run that extended into the second quarter and peaked at a game-high 10-point lead, behind Sloper's two fast-break layups and Bales's pair of three-pointers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On defense, Crook County protected the paint and forced Summit to the perimeter, where [player_tooltip player_id='1223998' first='Lucy' last='Cross'] connected for the Storm's only three-pointer of the first half. She scored 6 of Summit's 10 second-quarter points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cross finished with an all-around strong game and led Summit in scoring with 18 points, 3 three-pointers made, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and a block. The senior was the go-to playmaker for the Storm, consistently contributing through four quarters, knocking down three pointers, attacking the rim, and crashing the offensive glass for putbacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cowgirls capitalized on Summit's first-half shooting slump, dominated the defensive boards, pushed the pace, and went into the halftime break with an 8-point lead (24-16).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Summit responded with an 8-2 run of its own to start the third quarter, slashing the deficit to one possession. The team connected four times from three-point range, including two more from Cross. Six Storm players contributed to the scorebook in the third frame, outscoring Crook County 20-14 and narrowing the margin to 2 points (38-36) going into the fourth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But Sloper scored first in the final frame to stop Summit's momentum. The Cowgirls slowly built to another 10-point lead late in the game behind 7 points from sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='1232820' first='Hayden' last='Decker'], who knocked down a catch-and-shoot three-pointer at the top of the arc and finished twice inside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Decker dominated on the defensive boards all game and finished with 8 points, 13 rebounds, and 1 block. Sloper and Bales iced the game from the free-throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christ, who was quiet since the first bucket of the game, scored 5 points in the fourth quarter, including a pull-up three-pointer to trim the deficit to 7 points with 15 seconds remaining, but it was too little too late.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cowgirls secured the upset and proved they belong in the Top 12 in 5A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up for Summit (8-6, 0-2) is a road game at Mountainview on Tuesday. Crook County (11-4, 2-1) hosts Caldera on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->