Barlow girls basketball’s Rachel Jones nets 31 points in return to Sandy

Published 9:50 pm Tuesday, January 21, 2025

There is nothing sweeter than a homecoming — just ask Barlow girls basketball’s star senior forward.

Rachel Jones spent the first two years of her high school career hooping for Sandy. Now in the second year after transferring to Barlow, she relishes every chance to showcase her skills in the gym where she spent so many hours honing her craft.

“Being back to where I used to play is really nice,” Jones said. “We were able to get back into our groove tonight.”

Jones and the Bruins took their Mt. Hood Conference rivals by storm.

“For these games it is more fun to play because you get to do stuff you normally don’t get to,” Jones said. “This gets our confidence up — having a younger team we can struggle sometimes. So we were able to get the win and get them buckets.”

Barlow blew out Sandy 77-18 Tuesday evening, Jan. 21.

For Barlow (6-7, 2-1 League), Jones had a game-high 31 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks; senior guard Lizzy Weber had 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists; sophomore wing Marlie Williams had 10 points, five rebounds and three assists; and senior guard Kinzie Hopkins added nine points.

The Bruins also celebrated the return of senior post Addi Knight, who was back from an injury.

“She takes a lot of pressure off rebounding, and helps us space the floor,” Jones said. “Addi gets those second-chance looks and sets really good screens.”

For Sandy (2-11, 0-3 League), senior guard Katy Emerson had seven points; sophomore guard Laila Kitchen had seven points; and junior guard Liliana Hamilton scored three points.

Things got ugly early. The Bruins outscored the Pioneers 25-5 in the first quarter, and then pitched a shutout in the second quarter with some smothering defense — Weber, as always, was a pest for the Sandy guards, harrying them all over the court and forcing turnovers. At halftime it was 43-5.

In the third quarter the Pioneers found a bit of offense thanks to Emerson’s shooting, but a running clock in the fourth quarter prevented any chance at a miracle comeback.

The win continues to right the ship for the Bruins, who have postseason dreams. They got mauled during a tough preseason, but are beginning to find a rhythm at the mid-point of the season.

“We had a tougher preseason, so a lot of players didn’t get a lot of minutes,” Jones said. “We are finally able to get them in after all the hard work they put in at practice.”

“We really support them and love when they score,” she added.