Good’s Great, Leads Concordia to Victory

It was a simple observation by an assistant coach that provided the impetus for Concordia’s Golden State Athletic Conference tournament championship victory on Wednesday.

Angela Good, sitting on the bench, overheard Dean Cooper’s call “for somebody who can shoot,” and when head Coach Dave Wolter tapped her on the shoulder, Good was great.

She sparked a 19-4 run at the end of the first half to lead top-seeded Concordia to a 91-85 victory over third-seeded Fresno Pacific (18-12) in the conference championship game.

The Eagles (28-5) will play in the NAIA tournament, March 19-25 in Jackson, Tenn.

Concordia trailed, 31-26, when Wolter called timeout with four minutes remaining in the first half and told his nervous team to take it one possession at a time instead of worrying about the scoreboard.

He also sent Good into the game to destroy the Sunbirds’ 2-3 zone.

Good began a 19-4 scoring burst with the first of two three-point baskets in the run. Kristin Weddick (10 points) followed with a 17-footer, Angela Sather (25 points, 10 rebounds) completed a three-point play off an offensive rebound, Heather Carll (18 points) put back another miss and Good hit a three. By the time Sathers scored off a steal with no time remaining, Concordia led, 45-35.

“I went out there and nobody was on me,” said Good, who was five for seven from the field and scored 15 points. “[Fresno Pacific] knew I could shoot; they recruited me.”

It turned out the Eagles, who stretched the lead to 20, needed those points. Fresno Pacific outscored Concordia, 28-15, the final 8 1/2 minutes, largely on four three-point baskets in the final 2:17 by Renee Longshore (27 points).

“Some of their kids stepped up and hit the big shots,” Sunbirds’ Coach Diane Weststeyn said. “They hit those threes, which they had to do . . .”to pull us out of our zone.”

Concordia made nine of 11 free-throws at the end to hold off Frenso Pacific, which trailed by five with 5.8 seconds left.