By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
(February 11, 2024 7:30 AM ET) When Lumen Christi Catholic High School girls’ basketball player Allison O’Dowd hits the button and decides to head toward the basket, a couple of things are going to happen.
She will get a shot up one way or another.
Someone will fall down.
And the LCCHS senior will forget about her body and any consequences associated with the drive to the hoop.
That attitude is helping the Titans to a successful season after two sub .500 seasons.
Consider the comparison.
Lumen Christi started the 2022-2023 season losing eight-of-nine games. Two years ago, LCCHS finished 1-19 in the basketball campaign.
This year the Titans won eight consecutive games to start the season and are 14-4 as of Friday.
O’Dowd has been the leader of the pack.
She has been a varsity player for the Titans since her freshman year.
“It was pretty scary (being a freshman on the varsity squad) but I got used to it,” O’Dowd said. “Sometime during my sophomore year, I became a leader on the team.
“This year I try to be like a coach or mentor … but I am more like a mom since I am the only senior.”
O’Dowd is averaging more than a dozen points per game and is one of the Titans’ leaders in assists and rebounds.
Defensively O’Dowd and the Titans have left their mark on opponents. In 16-of-18 games Lumen Christi has limited opponents to 40 points or less.
“We take playing defense very seriously,” O’Dowd said. “We scrimmage our boys’ basketball team to work on defense.”
“It all comes down to putting in the work during the offseason.”
O’Dowd says the Titans’ goals are winning a district basketball title and advancing in the Michigan High School Athletic Association basketball playoffs.
The senior has also been a force on the softball diamond for the Titans. She hit over .400 a year ago playing centerfield for LCCHS.
She looks for the Titans to have a solid season on the diamond with a solid core of players coming back.
The senior is not sure what she will be doing next fall but would like to play basketball or softball in college. Her 3.7 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) should give her an advantage to play college ball.
“I don’t like to think about what is next … leaving high school is sad,” O’Dowd said.
