Kentridge High guard Gary Bell felt the need to take over Friday night at Jackson High.
Trailing Arlington 10-4 midway through the first quarter of a Class 4A state basketball opener for both teams – and just moments after being knocked hard to the floor but not getting the call – Kentridge’s star point guard turned up the heat on the Eagles.
Bell proceeded to rip off six straight points, tying the game 10-10 and giving Arlington a taste of what was about to come.
Behind Bell’s 31 points, the Chargers ripped Arlington 88-63 in a first-round state basketball game.
“I had to take over a little bit,” Bell said, pointing out that the early deficit was a wake-up call to the Chargers.
And Bell did just that, scoring 10 of Kentridge’s first 12 points before going on an absolute torrid shooting spree, scoring 19 points in the second quarter alone en route to the runaway.
Bell carved up the Eagles in the second quarter. Leading 26-20 with 2:15 remaining, the Kentridge star drained four straight 3-pointers in less than a minute as Kentridge’s lead ballooned to 38-24. Yet, these weren’t your average, garden-variety 3-pointers, either. If Bell wasn’t several feet behind the stripe, he was fading away. And doing so as the Kentridge crowd chanted “Gary, Gary.”
“(Arlington) gave Gary room,” said Kentridge coach Dave Jamison. “You can’t give Gary room.”
Indeed. The Gonzaga-bound senior connected on 6 of 8 from 3-point land. In addition, Bell’s 31 points came in just 22 minutes of play.
“They weren’t really guarding me, so I had to shoot,” Bell said.
With the win, Kentridge (19-8) advances to play Auburn at 3 p.m. Saturday at Jackson High in a loser-out game. The winner will move on to the state tournament’s Elite Eight, which will be played at the Tacoma Dome next week. Auburn took two of three meetings against the Chargers this season, most recently winning 58-54 on Feb. 10.
As good as Bell was, however, the Chargers were nearly flawless as a team. Kentridge hit 15 of 27 from 3-point land. Freshman Jawan Stepney came off the bench to hit three and finished with 15 points. Meanwhile, Brendan Westendorf quietly delivered another standout performance, finishing with 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and a team-high 10 rebounds. Denzel Daniels added nine points and also drained a pair of 3-pointers.
“When we get going, we can shoot a little,” Jamison deadpanned.
Garfield 78, Kentwood 48: The Conquerors couldn’t contain Tony Wroten and the top-ranked Bulldogs, falling in a first-round Class 4A state playoff game. Wroten finished with a game-high 29 points.
Mikell Everette led the Conquerors with 10 points while Austin Benson and Alec Wilson chipped in eight each.
Kentwood will play Olympia at 3 p.m. Saturday at Juanita High in a loser-out game. The winner moves on to the Elite Eight of the state tournament next weekend at the Tacoma Dome.
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