Dowd’s defense a difference-maker

Two-sport star a driving force for Souderton

happening. Defense is just my passion in basketball.”

The best word to describe Dowd’s defense would be relentless. She rarely leaves the floor and draws the assignment of guarding the other team’s top ballhandler for every second she’s in the game. While Dowd is quick to attribute a lot of her success to her teammates, Dowd’s defense is a huge part of what led Souderton to the No. 1 seed in the District I 6A bracket.

The Indians will be relying on Dowd’s lockdown prowess starting Wednesday when they host No. 16 seed Haverford in the second round of the tournament.

It’s been a growth too, with the 5-foot-7 guard getting better on the defensive end with each season. For Dowd, it’s become about time and place. There’s a right time to go for a steal or deflection and the rest of time, just keep her player in front and trust her help defense.

“Defensively, she is absolutely relentless,” Souderton coach Lynn Carroll said. “That kid has a motor unlike anybody I’ve ever seen and a drive unlike anybody I’ve ever seen. She gets angry if somebody beats her to the basket.”

Defense is both difficult and tiring. Offensive players inherently have an advantage while the defender can only react, and try to do so without fouling. It’s a task made only more difficult the more a player on offense has the ball.

By guarding point guards, Dowd usually plays a lot of defense in a given game. Still, the senior never

DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA FILE PHOTO Souderton’s Tori Dowd passes to Megan Walbrandt after fighting for a loose ball with North Penn’s Carly Adams earlier this season.