Newsday Athlete of the Week is West Babylon's Lacey Downey

The number didn’t lie, and neither does Lacey Downey’s shot. It’s hard, it’s fast, it’s lethal.

And, boy, is it fast.

"We brought a radar gun the other day and she clocked at 78 miles per hour as a 10th grader," West Babylon girls lacrosse coach Colleen Kilgus said. "Her shot is unbelievable."

Kilgus continued: "She has a shot like [Babylon native] Emma Ward [of Syracuse] and we all saw Emma Ward in the [NCAA] championship game. That’s the type of shot she has, as a 10th grader."

Downey, a West Babylon sophomore, has taken a step forward this season that’s almost as demonstrative as her shot — elevating herself from a self-proclaimed role player as an eighth grader to one of the best players on Long Island in just two years — one of which had a season canceled by a global pandemic.

Downey led Suffolk in both goals and assists (59 and 47, respectively), according to statistics reported to Newsday. She had 106 points, nearly 30 more than the rest of the county.

For her efforts, and her dominance, Downey is Newsday’s Athlete of the Week.

Downey credits her high school and club coaches with her turnaround, specifically with refining her approach within the eight -meter arc.

"When you're inside the eight-meter, you have to have your stick close to your body, so it's not in checking ability from the defenders, which allows you to get a goal easier," Downey said. "If you get your hands off your body, then they'll check your stick and [cause] a turnover."

Within the eight-meter is hardly the only place where Downey is dangerous.

"Two games ago, she shot from the 12," Kilgus said "Every single coach out there tells all their defenders, ‘don’t worry, leave them alone at the 12, they’re not going to shoot.’ Well, Lacey does."

This season has been full of pleasant surprises for Downey. First, her own success. It was something she didn’t necessarily see coming — even though she worked tirelessly on her game while organized play was shut down by the pandemic.

"I didn't think I would be this much of an impact player," she said.

Second, her team’s success. Downey said everything was on the table as the new season dawned. The lineup wasn’t set in stone. The win-loss expectations? No one really knew.

"We didn't even know if we were going to be good this year because we lost three of our best players — my sister Kayla, and Hannah Heller and Emily Heller," Downey said. "They were our whole team in [2019]. I had a role on that team, but I didn't do that much. I just thought it was just going be a fun season, but it really surprised me how good we've gotten and how far we're going to go."

West Babylon finished the season 11-4 and won seven of their last eight games.

With the playoffs beginning this week, those unknown expectations of early April have turned into rather lofty ones in mid-June.

"I really think we can make it to the counties and even win that," Downey said. "We now have expectations to make it to the county final because of how good a season we’ve had and how good we are doing. We should make it to the counties."