A year ago, Rincon/University freshman basketball player Leila O’Dowd averaged 22.4 points per game, becoming one of the most productive freshmen basketball players in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ history, boys or girls. This year, she has taken it to another level.
Last week, she played five consecutive days for the Rangers: three basketball games and two soccer matches.
She became Rincon’s starting goalkeeper after an injury to a fellow Ranger, and in O’Dowd’s first game, Wednesday against Sunnyside, she stopped all of Sunnyside’s shots on goal in a 1-0 victory. She was also the goalkeeper in Thursday’s 3-1 loss to Phoenix Sunnyslope. A rare three-sport athlete, O’Dowd also plays for Rincon’s varsity girls volleyball team.
O’Dowd started the week with back-to-back basketball games of 33 points in a Monday win over Sierra Vista Buena and then scored 38 a night later in a victory over ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ High. On Friday, she scored 22 in a victory over Marana, giving her 1,027 for her career. She is the fourth-leading scorer among big schools in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
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If anyone has ever deserved a “Player of the Week†award, it’s O’Dowd, who has helped coach Darryl Carlson’s team to a 15-7 record in Class 6A.
Contact sports columnist Greg Hansen at GHansenAZStar@gmail.com. On X(Twitter): @ghansen711
Greg Hansen
Columnist
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