Tough & tender Lady Griz leader has two sides
Friday, February 04, 2011
“She’s an angel off the court,” explains Katie Baker, carefully weaving through a description of her roommate/teammate. “She’s someone to be reckoned with on the court.”
An intense competitor with an overt dislike for losing, Ena has been a force for the Montana women’s basketball team for four straight years. She’s on pace to finish with 1,100+ points and 600+ rebounds, which would make her one of only 14 in Lady Griz history to accomplish the feat.She’s also a leader. One who sets a tone on and off the court.
“Sometimes guarding her in practice is so intense we’ve gotten in fights,” Baker said. “I love the way she always leaves it all on the court. Then whether it’s a win or a loss, we’ll go home and cry and vent and just move on to the next day.”
Sometimes moving on is merely a matter of showering up and eating after a game. Other times the healing takes longer, which is where Ena’s soft touch comes in handy.
“If we’re down she’s going to be the girl bringing our team morale up,” senior teammate Jessa Loman Linford said. “She’s an awesome character, so much fun.
“We’ve gone through a lot together. Coming in as freshman we had a really amazing team. We’ve just had to persevere through these last two seasons together and that’s helped make our team closer.”
When it’s over for Ena, fans will remember her as a tenacious rebounder capable of ripping the ball from an opponent’s grip. Or a slasher, compensating for a lack of post size with strength and speed.
“I’m not cutthroat,” she insists. “I know at the end of the day I can handle a loss and see the bigger picture.
“But in the moment – from hearing about my dad and the type of player he was, and then just from playing sports with my brother growing up – that drive and hunger is something I’ve been around my whole life. Even when they talk about sports you can see that fire in their eyes.”
It’s important to know Sarah is close to her family.
She’s proud of her Samoan heritage, passed down from her father Tali, a former running back for Washington State and the Seattle Seahawks. She’s equally proud of brother Paul, an Eastern Washington football player who skipped a parade feting the Eagles’ FCS title so he could watch Sarah compete in Missoula recently.
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