Crook County advanced to its first-ever boys basketball state championship game after defeating Summit 68-55 in the Oregon School Activities Association/OnPoint Community Credit Union 5A state semifinals on March 13.
The win marks a significant milestone for Crook County, which had never before reached a state semifinal at any level. The Cowboys will now face Parkrose in the title game scheduled for Saturday, March 14 at Linfield University.
Summit started strong with a 13-2 lead, but Crook County responded by relying on senior Bryce Lowenbach and key three-point shooting from junior Uriah Yustat in the fourth quarter. “We couldn’t get down on our teammates, shots weren’t falling in the first quarter overall,” Yustat said. “You just have to keep looking forward, keep your eyes ahead. We know one quarter doesn’t dictate the whole entire basketball game.”
Lowenbach played a pivotal role in closing the early gap, scoring Crook County’s first seven points and finishing with 26 points, 19 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks. Head coach Jason Mumm credited his experienced roster for their resilience: “When you have this many seniors, there’s no real magic words that you say to these guys, they kind of have the magic words for themselves… They kind of know, they’ve been in tough situations and have played together for so long.”
Yustat contributed five three-pointers and finished with 17 points. He said about his performance: “I knew going in that they were going to fall… But if they’re going to leave me open I’m going to shoot it every single time.” Mumm added about Yustat: “He had those big threes, he’s capable of that. He stepped up and knocked them down.”
Summit was led by Andy Bledsoe with 19 points while Foster Kettering added 12 points and Matthew Tompkins scored ten.
For Crook County fans and players alike, reaching the final is a source of pride. Lowenbach said: “It would mean the world to them if we could bring back a trophy for them because they give so much to us… It’s a great place to be, I wouldn’t have it any other way, I wouldn’t want to represent a different town.”
In the other semifinal matchup, Parkrose defeated Centennial 77-54 behind Adrian “Fuzzy” Montague’s 22 points and Jayden Hall’s 20 points. Parkrose advances to its first state final since winning its last title in 1982.
The championship game between Crook County and Parkrose will determine which team claims its first boys basketball title in decades.
