By Allan Kha — Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
With every game comes an opportunity for senior Sarah Imovbioh’s growing star to shine. Against Covenant, the UVA-bound forward dropped 31 points and 14 rebounds, leading her team to a comfortable 68-21 STAB victory.
“I was pleased with our team’s performance. The team came out and gave a good effort [against Covenant],” Saints coach Phil Stinnie said. “Our team is faster than they think they are, and I really emphasize them hitting the lanes, and they did that. As we move into the next part of our schedule, a tough stretch, it’s important that our team steps up and plays well.”
Imovbioh’s supporting cast, in fact, scored STAB’s (7-1) first six points through the fast break and maintained spacing that allowed the Saints’ star player to shine in the interior. Imovbioh’s 11 points and six offensive rebounds—many of which were grabbed off second- and third- chances—in the first quarter were ultimately the difference, nonetheless, and helped the Saints pull out to a 19-6 first quarter lead over the Eagles (4-5).
Imovbioh—who is recovering from a stomach ailment—added an additional 20 points, eight rebounds, and three steals through the remainder of the game as her team expanded its 13-point first-quarter lead into a 47-point victory. Playing a point-forward role for much of the game, she also tallied three assists.
“For Sarah, I’d grade her performance [against Covenant] at a C-plus. She’s recovering from some stomach issues, and she can definitely give more energy and making some of the shots she missed,” Stinnie said. “It’s a testament to how good she is and how much potential she has. She’s very composed on the floor and is only getting better.
To the spectator’s eye, it seemed as if Imovbioh’s only miscue against Covenant was a gaffe with 1:09 to go in the second quarter, when she drew a traveling call in the backcourt after grabbing a defensive rebound. A then-chuckling Imovbioh, however, was grounded about her performance after the game.
“I’m so proud of our team today. We played a game last Saturday where we made plenty of mistakes. The big thing was that we fixed those mistakes, and that our team made the shots that we missed before, and brought our game,” Imovbioh said.
“Obviously my job is the score in the interior, and one challenge that’s been given to me is to not pass the ball when it is passed to me in the post. That way, I keep on improving and make sure to work hard in the post. But today was a great team effort and I’m really happy that we did well; it was a team performance all the way.”
Freshman point guard Haley Kent and senior guard Addi Bolin added nine points apiece for the Saints, while junior forward Margot Leibl led Covenant with eight points.
STAB next plays at home against Liberty Christian at time TBD. Covenant hosts Wakefield on Friday at 4 p.m.
