The decision was easy.
Kentridge High star guard Gary Bell made it look even easier.
Trailing 51-50 with 10.7 seconds remaining Tuesday night at Kentwood High and all eyes on the Kentridge star, Bell sliced his way to the basket and kissed a short runner off glass, leading the fourth-ranked Chargers past the third-ranked Conquerors 52-51 in a South Puget Sound League North Division game.
Moments later, after inbounding the ball from halfcourt, Kentwood had one final shot, but Taylor Jones was unable to get a good look from 3-point range and missed wildly off glass.
“I knew when I got the ball I could score easily because they were overplaying so much,” said Bell, who took the inbounds pass with 27.4 seconds remaining following a timeout, dished off and later received the ball back during the play. “They opened up the floor a lot more … there wasn’t a lot of help in the middle on that particular play, so I knew I could get to the basket.”
On an off-shooting night, the future Gonzaga Bulldog did just that.
Though it wasn’t a surprise to anyone in the gym that Bell had the ball last for the Chargers.
“I didn’t draw anything up,” said Kentridge coach Dave Jamison. “We had four shooters on the floor and the best guy with the ball in the state, so there’s not a lot of drawing. I told the other four guys to spot up and (Bell) was going to go, and that’s what happened.”
Bell finished with a season-low 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. And while Bell hit what proved to be the game winner, he would not have been in the pivotal situation if it wasn’t for the play of his teammates. Denzel Daniels added 13 points for the Chargers (4-0 in league, 5-0 overall), including three 3-pointers while Roddy Hanson chipped in 7 and Brendan Westendorf 6.
Kentridge led for much of the night, the biggest gap being a 33-23 spread with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter after Hanson drained a 3-pointer.
Kentwood (3-1, 6-1) forwards Jason Boyce and Taylor Jones, however, wouldn’t let the Conquerors go quietly. Boyce, a 6-foot-4 senior, scored 11 of his 16 points in the third and fourth quarters. Jones, a 6-6 junior, scored 10 of his 14 points in the final two quarters.
Kentwood came all the way back, tying the game 42-42 with 6:05 remaining in the fourth quarter on a Boyce free throw. With 1:49 remaining, Kentwood took its first lead since early in the second quarter, when Jeremy Smith hit 1 of 2 free throws, giving the Conks a 51-50 advantage.
With the outcome on the line, however, the game belonged to Bell.
“What are you going to do? Of course he’s going to get the ball there,” said first-year Kentwood coach Brian Davis. “Of course he’s going to get the ball. He made a great individual effort.”
The Conquerors hadn’t lost since falling to Decatur on February 60-44, a run of 12-straight wins. For the Chargers, the win proved to be extra special. Kentwood eliminated Kentridge from state contention last February.
“This was definitely a big win because last year they put us out of state (contention), so we played like we had a chip on our shoulder,” said Bell, who entered the night averaging 26.5 points per game. “(Last year’s loss) was a big motivator.”
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