Basketball has always been Darren Callihan’s sport.

The 1988 Karns City graduate was a 1,000-point scorer for the Gremlins and went on to play for Butler County Community College and Denison (Ohio) University.

He set a record at BC3, scoring 54 points in a game while sinking 14 3-pointers in that contest.

“(Mars graduate and late La Roche coach) Scott Lang was the point guard and I played off-guard,” Callihan said. “We had a lot of good times together on the court.”

Now Callihan has a daughter headed to collegiate athletics — as an outfielder in softball.

Payton Callihan, 18, a senior at Lakota East High School near Cincinnati, has signed a letter of intent with Division I Morehead State.

“Softball has been her game from Day One,” Callihan said. “She’s a versatile player who can do a lot of things.

“Unless you’re a pitcher, that’s the type of player you have to be to get to the level she’s going. It’s exciting.”

As a junior, Payton hit .377 for Lakota East last spring, collecting eight doubles and 24 RBI. She was a first team All-Greater Miami Conference player.

She hit over .400 for the Ohio Hawks, a summer traveling team that plays all over the country and builds its roster with top players from the midwest.

“All three outfielders from that team are going Division I,” Callihan said. “Payton’s going to Morehead State, the others are going to Kentucky and St. Peter’s.

“She got a lot of college exposure by playing with that team.”

A left-handed hitter, Payton can slap the ball the other way, hit for power and is a speedy runner. Morehead State was 15-36-1 last season, but had 13 players named All-American Scholars, possessing a grade point average of 3.50 or higher.

Payton plans to study equine science. She was also recruited by Murray State, Findlay and Kentucky.

Callihan and his wife, Lisa, also have a son named Rory. He’s a sophomore at Lakota East — one of the bigger schools in the Cincinnati area — and plays hockey.

“The kids are dedicated to their sports, just like I was,” Callihan said. “That’s fun to see.”