Rex Putnam HS senior Emma McDonald reaches 1,000-point milestone

MILWAUKIE, Ore. (KPTV) - In this High School Spotlight, FOX 12 highlights a senior who plays a sport during every season for Rex Putnam High School but basketball is her biggest love.

Emma McDonald is having a ball senior year at Milwaukie’s Rex Putnam High School.

“No breaks for me. I do like it like that,” Emma said.

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It’s cross country, volleyball, track and hoops for Emma.

“When I first started playing basketball I am like, ‘Oh, this is what I want to do.’ It’s just taught me so much throughout my life that no other sport has,” she said.

This queen of the Kingsmen is one of five senior leaders for second-year head coach and proud Rex Putnam class of 2010 grad, Max d’Auvergne, who loves her unselfish mindset.

“If you watch her, she plays 90 feet of defense for pretty much the entire game. A bunch of her points just come off of hustle and grit plays,” said d’Auvergne.

Some of that toughness comes from home as Emma is the oldest of four siblings in tow with three brothers below.

“Growing up, I was always taught to be a leader, to be a role model to my brothers so that’s what I plan on doing,” she said.

Even breaking down each game with Chase McDonald, a Rex Putnam junior who is 11 months younger.

“When we get back to the house tonight, we usually talk for like two to three hours about what happens, and we usually watch film together,” Emma said.

If Chase is on the case to pour over tape of her buckets, he might need to pull an all-nighter.

“Honestly, I have been dreaming of scoring 1,000 points my whole basketball career,” Emma said.

Emma is just the second girl in Rex Putnam history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. It’s something Northwest Oregon Conference Player of the Year Maddie Olma did a season ago.

“All I really want to do is make my brothers proud and for them to follow in my footsteps somehow,” Emma said.

Personal achievements are fun but Rex Putnam is on the path to program history.

“Last year we were fifth in state, and it was a devastating loss in the end, obviously,” she said.

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Winning a state championship next month would be a first for the RPHS girls who are currently ranked fourth in Oregon and lead the 5A NWOC.

“I have always wanted to go to Putnam. I love the community here and I just don’t see myself anywhere else besides here,” Emma said.

One thousand points and counting, Emma and the Kingsmen continue their march towards a return to the state tournament next month at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.

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