Ferndale’s exciting 52-48 girls basketball victory over Bellingham on Friday night, Jan. 17, was all relative even before tipoff.
That’s because Ferndale junior Jilly Fox and her uncle, Bellingham coach Ken McLendon, had been looking forward to this — their first game against each other — since, well, since Uncle Ken and Aunt Hanna drove eight hours to a tiny hospital in Chewelah to see their niece born 17 years ago.
“I was really excited,” said Fox, who has trained with her uncle ever since he started McLendon Athletics in 2018. “We’ve been talking about this at every family gathering and barbecue.” Talked as in trash talked? “Oh yeah,” she said with a big grin.

Uncle Ken McLendon and niece Jilly Fox
She was still grinning after scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds and 4 steals to help her Golden Eagles get the better of McLendon’s Bayhawks on Friday. But the victory, which raised Ferndale’s overall record to 7-7 and its Northwest Conference mark to 5-4, did not come easy.
That’s because the Bayhawks, who fell to 5-7 overall and 2-5 in league play, played their best game of the year, at least according to Bellingham sophomore Merritt Jensen.
“It was really exciting, not like last time,” Jensen said of Ferndale’s 37-point win last season. “Even though we lost (on Friday), there were so many good things we did. This was a great transitioning game … that should push us forward.”
There would be no blowout this season as the two squads traded leads most of the game. Ferndale appeared ready to take control with an eight-point lead late in the second quarter, but the Golden Eagles were held to seven points in the third quarter as Bellingham went ahead.
Then it was the Bayhawks’ turn. They took a 44-41 lead on junior Lily Jude’s 3-pointer with 3:33 left only to have the Golden Eagles run off 10 straight points to go up by seven with 1:15 left. But it still wasn’t over as Bellingham senior Jennifer Ruano hit two buckets in less than a minute to cut the margin to three.
It wasn’t until Ferndale junior Kayla Washington sank one of two free throws with 15 seconds left that the Golden Eagles finally finished off the Bayhawks.
“We really haven’t had many close games,” said Ferndale coach Terri Yost. “We rely on our energy, the intensity of our defense. I told the girls we need to focus that energy. We’re still learning to play together.”
It definitely wasn’t the Golden Eagles’ best game. One of their three varsity veterans and perhaps their best outside shooter, Abbey White, was out with an injury, and their two best ballhandlers, Washington and sophomore Brooklyn Larrabee, were plagued by foul trouble the whole second half.
That left most of the offense to Fox, who dominated the paint throughout the game. And in the decisive fourth quarter, she and Washington had seven points each to account for all but two of Ferndale’s 16 points. Washington would finish with 14 points and 3 assists, and Larrabee had 8 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals
And while they only combined for two points, the team’s only senior starter, Isabella Vargas, and sophomore Kayla Lee, who replaced White in the starting lineup, were instrumental in Ferndale’s defensive intensity and rebounding.
“It was definitely a rough game for us,” said Fox. “But it will help us grow as a team.”
However, when it comes to growth, it’s hard to beat the Bayhawks. With at least eight more games to be played, they’ve already surpassed last season’s three victories and one league win. And even in defeat, they continue to make great strides, according to their coach.
“They’re growing,” said McLendon, who is in his first year with the Bayhawks. “It was a team effort. I told them we don’t need a Lebron James. They just have to do their job. It was our best game of the year.”
Jensen led Bellingham with 15 points, including eight in the first quarter to jump start the Bayhawks. Ruano was the spark plug point guard who came through with 13 points, six of them in the final period. And senior Malia Hanks had 12 points, eight in the third quarter when Bellingham fought back to take the lead, plus 6 rebounds, 6 steals, and 3 assists.
In the end, the Bayhawks made their coach proud. Of course, so did his niece.
“I am very proud of Jilly,” McLendon said, calling Fox one of the best scorers and rebounders in the conference. “She and my oldest daughter are very close, and she’s like a daughter to me.” And even though he wasn’t pleased with the outcome, he had to admit, “It was fun.”
The two teams begin their stretch runs next week with Bellingham at Mount Vernon on Monday and Ferndale visiting Sehome on Tuesday.
Ferndale 52, Bellingham 48
Ferndale 12 17 7 16—52
Bellingham 13 11 11 13—48
Ferndale: Larrabee 8, Gilday 3, Fox 23, Dawson 2, Washington 14, Vargas, Lee 2.
Bellingham: Jude 5, Manning, Hanks 12, Ruano 13, Lockhart 3, Green, Morell, Jensen 15.









































