Barlow girls basketball trio of sophomores scorch Sandy

Published 9:44 pm Wednesday, February 19, 2025

A group of Barlow girls basketball sophomores have been thrown into a “trial by fire” season.

And not only has the talented class emerged un-burned, they are scorching opponents alongside their savvy seniors.

“That sophomore class brings energy,” said Coach Nick Hudson, referencing the strange quirk of his current varsity roster that has no juniors. “They are learning from the seniors, and pretty soon that torch will be handed off to them.”

The latest was a balanced win over visiting Sandy.

There was sophomore wing Marlie Williams, who lit up the scoreboard against the Pioneers, especially during an avalanche of points in the opening quarter — she netted a 16, which was more than triple Sandy’s score in that first frame.

“She was a big time spark for us,” Coach Hudson said. “Marlie has been really consistent all season — it has been challenging because some games she’s been starting and some games off the bench as the sixth man.”

What makes Williams so exciting is the multitude of ways she can score, blending a strong shot from deep with the strength to bully her way into the paint for layups.

“I was just looking to attack that first quarter,” she said. “I was working on attacking the basket and getting buckets.”

There is gadget sophomore wing Allison Shamoon, whose game emulates senior Lizzy Weber in that both prioritize defense, rebounding and getting teammates involved almost to a fault.

And the third member of that “sophomore trio” is wing Aubrey Heath, who brought energy off the bench, especially in the third quarter in which she harassed the Pioneers ballhandlers the length of the court.

“Both Allison and Marley were great, bringing that energy,” Hudson said.

All of that, plus another high-scoring output from star senior forward Rachel Jones against her former team, led to some smooth sailing for the Bruins.

No. 24 Barlow won 73-28 over Sandy Wednesday, Feb. 19, in a late-season Mt. Hood Conference game.

“We crashed the boards for a lot of offensive and defensive rebounds; pushed the floor to get buckets in transition; and executed plays,” Williams said. “And getting our JV and swingers in the game was very important, getting them reps.”

For Barlow (11-9, 7-3 League), Jones had a game-high 17 points with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks; Williams added 22 points; senior guard Kinzie Hopkins scored 8 points; Shamoon added 6 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 blocks; and Weber had 6 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.

For Sandy (2-18, 0-10 League), sophomore guard Kaylee Snavley had a team-high 7 points; senior guard Katy Emerson added 6 points; and sophomore guard Laila Kitchen scored 5 points.

“We love to have that balanced scoring, because a lot of teams focus on Rachel,” Coach Hudson said.