She’s been double-teamed.

She’s been triple-teamed.

She’s even been quadruple-teamed some nights.

Eastern junior forward Rachel Galligan faces this defensive pressure as the top post player in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Galligan, who is essentially the team’s center, has been a force this season and has other teams starting to take notice.

The Bloomington native averages 18.9 points and 6.6 rebounds. Galligan is doing slightly better against league foes. She averages 22 points and 6.8 rebounds. Although the Panthers (12-10, 11-3 OVC) had a setback against Samford on Saturday night, she still continues to be amazing.

Galligan finished the Panthers’ Alabama swing with consecutive double-doubles. She had 23 points and 11 rebounds against Samford and 19 points and 12 rebounds against Jacksonville State.

Galligan’s done so much this year. She broke into the 1,000-point club on Jan. 12. But she’s been dominant on defense as well by blocking shots. In two consecutive games against Tennessee State and Morehead State, she blocked 10 shots. She’s almost a lock to become the all-time Eastern blocked shots leader.

And Galligan has been rewarded.

Galligan has won the OVC Player of the Week award three times this season, including this week’s honor.

Galligan’s all-around game has put her in the running to be the OVC Player of the Year.

She can score inside. She can hit the fadeaway jumper. She can hit it from the free-throw line.

Galligan ranked 19th in the country in points per game. She also ranks 23rd in the country in field goal percentage and 27th in the country in free-throw percentage.

But more than anything, it’s Galligan leadership that’s helping the Panthers.

After Saturday night’s double overtime loss at Samford in Birmingham, Ala., Galligan said what a leader should say.

Galligan said just because it’s one loss does not mean the Panthers are not out of the race for the regular season championship.

It’s true. The Panthers are only a half-game behind Southeast Missouri (15-6, 10-2) and have a better winning percentage than Samford (17-6, 10-3).

But every game is key the rest of the way if the Panthers want their OVC title and the No. 1 seed for the OVC title.

The Panthers are going to need Galligan to continue her dominant play if they want the title.

However, other teams know about her force in the post, so it becomes even more difficult for her. Galligan’s going to need to bring her game to the next level.

Eastern head coach Brady Sallee said Galligan does her work before the ball gets to her. She sets the screens, shuffles her feet and powers through the other teams’ picks as well. She gets the open shots and scores. Galligan also works against the double-team and scores. If the pressure is too much, she kicks it out to an open guard.

She’s the intricate role player in Eastern’s high-low offense this season.

The Panthers will have to continue to work their offense around Galligan if they want to claim the OVC title and possibly dance into the NCAA Tournament.

Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or at kjmurphy@eiu.edu.