Ridley’s Kailyn Bell fires a shot during a Dec. 7 game against Garnet Valley. The senior guard hit two big free throws and played outstanding defense in the fourth quarter of the Green Raiders’ 42-35 victory at Strath Haven Thursday. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)”
By Matt Smith
Kailyn Bell was fighting herself at the free-throw line Thursday evening.
Ridley’s do-everything senior point guard had missed five in a row when she stepped to the line with another chance to ice a big win for the Green Raiders. Bell composed herself before taking her seventh and eighth free throws of the quarter, with Ridley clinging to a four-point lead.
“I had to lock in,” she said. She did, making both shots to extend Ridley’s advantage to six.
On Strath Haven’s next drip down the floor, Bell had the hustle play of the night when she stole a pass and tip-toed along the baseline, saving the ball and Ridley possession. Keira Small received the pass, got fouled, and hit two freebies to seal Ridley’s 42-35 victory.
“I had to make up for it,” Bell said. “I had to do whatever I could.”
Bell and her partner in crime Kyla Carney each scored 15 points to lead the Green Raiders (7-8) to their third consecutive win. Not bad for a team that began the season searching for answers after a brutal three-game stretch against league juggernauts Conestoga, Haverford and Garnet Valley.
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