Ava may be young but her on the court demeanor and skillset says upperclassman. She has the frame of a small forward but the skillset plus court vision of a point guard.

She shined most during the 5v5 where she could push the ball in transition with her head up then drop timely dimes to her teammates. In the half court setting she moved well but more importantly made sound decisions and didn’t force anything during an intense back and forth game.

McDowell stood out with her passing game, particularly when the floor opened up in transition. She delivered long passes up the floor and well-placed entry passes in the half court, looking to put teammates in advantageous positions. There was a calmness to the way she played, as she allowed her exceptional vision and decision-making to speak for themselves

McDowell puts herself in position to make plays on both ends of the floor. She moves well without the ball, stays shot-ready in triple threat, and is a reliable perimeter shooter who can knock down jumpers both off the catch and off the dribble. Defensively, she anticipates passing lanes, creates steals with active positioning, plays strong deny defense, and quickly turns into transition opportunities with smart outlet passes.

McDowell set the tone early for Winchester Rising Stars with her activity level and ability to create offense in transition during the team’s 15-0 opening run. She consistently sprinted the floor to get ahead of the play, converting fast break opportunities while also creating extra possessions with steals and sharp anticipation in the passing lanes. McDowell’s unselfishness stood out as well, highlighted by a strong long outlet pass that led directly to an assist and kept the tempo in Winchester Rising Stars ‘ favor.