Lowell sophomore guard Brooke Dawson has arrived.
Red Devils coach Kelly Chavez watched it happen during the Class 3A Lowell Sectional championship game.
“It was a back-and-forth game,” Chavez said. “We were trading baskets. But when it came down to the fourth quarter, Brooke Dawson — she’s only a sophomore, but she plays like a veteran — she put the ball in her hand.
“I just saw a look in her eye, and she just turned into a totally different person. She drove to the basket. She went to the line. Almost every basket at the end of the game was her. Brooke demanded the ball in her hand and just took the game over, and the girls wanted her to. They were confident with her doing it. That speaks measures for a sophomore.”
The 5-foot-6 Dawson scored a career-high 14 points, going 8 of 9 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, as Lowell beat Northwest Crossroads Conference rival Hanover Central 45-34 on Feb. 8 to win its first sectional title since 2000.
“I really had a good feeling about that game even before it started,” Dawson said. “All of our players were confident. Going into the game, I wasn’t nervous, but the nerves were getting to me a little bit. But I didn’t let them keep me from having my best game.
“I wanted this to be my best game. I wanted to put my best foot forward. I made sure I was doing my job on defense, offense, making sure I was getting my teammates good looks and taking my chances when I got them.”
Dawson embraced playing the role of closer after senior guard Bre Kidd, who has also stepped forward this season, hit a 3-pointer to give Lowell (16-9) a 36-34 lead.
“Just seeing the seniors’ faces last year entering their last game and then ending their last game, I just didn’t want that for these girls,” Dawson said. “So being able to pull out a win for them is awesome.”
Dawson also scored 10 points, her second-highest total of the season, during Lowell’s sectional semifinal against Kankakee Valley, another NCC opponent. That was the Red Devils’ first win in sectionals since 2014, and they have their most victories in a season since going 18-4 in 2012-13.
As Lowell prepares to play Columbia City (22-4), ranked No. 16 in the state coaches poll, in the Jimtown Regional on Saturday, Dawson is averaging 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and team highs of 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals.
“She’s definitely one of our main players, key players,” Lowell sophomore center Gatlin Hanrath said. “We’ve been playing together since seventh grade, so it’s always been our little duo we have together, and we’re going to be playing on the same AAU team this summer. So we’ll have even more chemistry.”
Dawson missed all three of Lowell’s games at the Lebanon Holiday Classic due to an illness. She then strained her lower back in mid-January, sat out several practices and was limited for a stretch of games, although she didn’t miss any.
But she has reached her top form at the right time.
“It’s her mentality,” Chavez said. “If I had a team full of Brookes, we’d be unstoppable. Unstoppable. She has a mindset to win. That’s why at the end of the game, her team looks to her, gives her the ball. They knew she was going to get them going in the right direction. Make or miss, win or lose, they were giving her the ball.
“It speaks a lot with her being a sophomore. I can’t explain that enough.”
Even as a sophomore, Dawson tries to help set the tone on the team. She said she learned a lot last season from the seniors as role models on and off the court.
“I don’t always like to think of the physical more,” Dawson said. “I like to think more of the mental side. Some people struggle with hiding their emotions or staying focused during the game. I like talking to each girl before the game and giving them a little pep talk.
“On the court, I love being able to see the floor and give my posts some great passes, give Bre that awesome assist for her to hit that 3-pointer. My free throws have been really on these past two games, which I’m glad about. My defense, I love defense. Defense is my focus.”
Dawson cracked Lowell’s lineup at the outset as a freshman but hit something of a wall.
“In the middle of the season, I wasn’t getting as much playing time as I wanted,” she said. “I asked to get a quarter on JV so I could get my confidence back up. Not playing a couple of games was taking a toll on me. Then right before the end of the season, right before sectionals, I was on my high again.”
Lowell will have to play at a high level against Columbia City, which is led by senior point guard Addison Baxter, a Butler recruit. Similar to Lowell, Columbia City moved down to 3A this season and won its first sectional title since 2000.
Chavez, in her ninth season, expects to have a large contingent of fans to support the Red Devils.
“Columbia City is top tier,” she said. “The girls are a little overwhelmed, but we’re just going to game-plan and do our thing and go in there with the right mentality. Anything can happen this postseason tournament run.
“At the end of the day, if it doesn’t work out in our favor, this has been magical for us. This is something no one can take away from us. We’re pretty happy. But we’re not going in with a losing mindset. We’re going to compete and give it all we got.”
Dawson, who also plays volleyball and softball at Lowell, welcomes the competition.
“They’re a tough team,” she said. “I’m really excited to play them. I like playing tough teams because that’s when I play tougher. I’m super excited.”
