Sather Has Concordia Sailing

Concordia’s Angela Sather was the Golden State Athletic Conference women’s basketball player of the year in 1996, but that’s not what she remembers most about last season.

The lingering memory is not positive: it’s of an 82-72 loss to Biola in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Concordia lost an 11-point lead in the second half; Sather missed all seven of her free throws, four down the stretch.

“That was totally upsetting,” Sather said of the loss, “but I don’t think we’ll do that again.”

Concordia (20-5, 7-1 in conference) has won eight consecutive games, including six in conference, and has a two-game lead over second-place Azusa Pacific (13-11, 5-3) with three conference games remaining.

Sather, the conference’s leading scorer with a 20-point average, has been even more productive during the streak. She has averaged 24 points and only once has been limited to fewer than 20.

Sather is also getting the job done on the boards. In one three-game span, she had 13, 19 and 17 rebounds--well above her average of seven.

Pretty good numbers for a 5-foot-10 forward, but Sather isn’t typical of players at this level. She’s quicker, more aggressive and skillful than most. She’s well-suited for Concordia’s fast-paced style.

Eagle Coach Dave Wolter points to a game against Cal Baptist, in which Sather had 30 points and 19 rebounds. Said Wolter: “Afterward, I told her, ‘You probably did more right and more wrong than anybody on the floor, but you did it so fast and so aggressively that when you made a mistake, you were able to correct it immediately.’ ”

Sather, a senior who transferred from Pima College in Arizona before last season, gets many of her points by driving to the basket, either scoring on layups or free throws after being fouled. She also averages a team-high four offensive rebounds and three steals.

But the Eagles aren’t one-dimensional--they can still win when Sather has an off night offensively. In Concordia’s 86-54 victory over Azusa Pacific, 6-3 center Heather Carll had 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Eagles.