The Dragons University of San Diego-bound senior star was just edged out as the North Coast Section Player of the Year, but she’s second in the senior pecking order and that means she snags the individual top honor for NCS seniors.

First off, Pace is only the second player ever at O’Dowd to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in her career besides K.C. Waters who led O’Dowd to the first ever contested CIF Open Division title in 2013. The result is the 5-11 wing and Prep2Prep All-NCS First team selection has averaged a double-double since her sophomore season.

This past season, and on a team where she was the only senior starter, Pace had per game averages of 13.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.2 steals on a team that won the Desper Division of the Nike TOC, finished second to Archbishop Mitty at the Eastside Prep Coaches versus Cancer event, was the runner-up to Salesian in the CIFNCS Division III playoffs, and then bowed out in a 51-43 road loss at Pinewood in the CIF Open Division Northern Regionals first round.

To say Pace is fearless is a bit of an understatement. Ever since she arrived at Bishop O’Dowd after moving to California from Indiana prior to her freshman season, Pace has been a four-year starter and one of the most unafraid, determined, selfless and talented players in California girls basketball.

One example was in the Open loss to a Pinewood team they had beaten at home 62-49 back in December. In the third quarter the coaches noticed Pace wasn’t moving like her normal self. Coach Malik McCord sent her to the trainer and told the trainer to look at her knee.

“She went to the trainer and gives the trainer the other knee to work on,” McCord told Prep2Prep. “Pace didn’t tell me this until after the game so of course she was ok and the trainer told us she’s ready to go back in, so we put her back in and she played the rest of the game.”

It turns out the knee Pace didn’t show the trainer had a dislocated knee cap and a sprained MCL and Meniscus. The next day she couldn’t straighten her knee.

“She knew if I knew she would obviously not go back in, but she not only wanted to compete for herself but for her teammates and coaches,” McCord remarked. “I was pretty upset after she told me but thank goodness she is ok and no surgery was needed.”

Another example is in what may have been one of her best performances of the season in a 54-48 comeback victory at the Stockton MLK event over a Cardinal Newman team that ended up beating Pinewood after O’Dowd lost to them.

With O’Dowd down 28-14 early on she was knocked out of the game after getting banged hard above her shoulder. She looked dazed as she was led to the locker room, and most media present thought she might have sustained a concussion, but amazingly Pace returned to lead a comeback and finish with a game-high 14 points with seven rebounds and three steals, and her defense was the difference. Afterwards it was disclosed she had been hit in the neck and not the head.

“Pace is one of the top players I have ever coached at O’Dowd and that’s saying a lot,” said McCord, who has coached O’Dowd since the 2009 season. “I love that kid and all she represents. She will definitely be successful at the next level.”

For now she is the recipient of the 2017 Prep2Prep CIF North Coast Section Senior of the Year award.

NOTE: We would like to thank our media partners, coaches, parents, players and fans for contributing photos for our all-section features. We salute all of the players that have made this a wonderful season of NCS basketball.