Bella Ranallo, the grinder

In the past few seasons, the Girls Varsity Basketball team has been making headlines. Once a struggling program with only four wins per season, the team has grown into one of the better teams in the state.

This success is largely due to the talent of each class of incoming freshmen. This past year was no exception. Sophomore Bella Ranallo has made an immediate impact. 

While she isn’t yet a top scorer, Ranallo has learned her role and perfected it. The 5’4″ Ranallo is a fearless player. Determined and aggressive, she is often fighting for rebounds and driving into the paint.

“Bella was one of the most valuable players on our team last year. She was one of the most aggressive players, and I am honestly shocked she had so much confidence for it only being her freshman year,” co-captain Molly Fisher said. “She made us a better team through her positive energy on and off the court. Playing with someone like Bella makes you want to push yourself harder each day, and I’m so glad I got to play with her last year.”

The Scouts faced various difficulties in last year’s season, as four starters were out with injuries. Ranallo took on a difficult role and proved herself. In a game in January, Ranallo scored a season high 14 points.

She also made a tremendous impact in the postseason, as she helped the Scouts win another Regional and also reach the Sectional semi-finals. She also was the 2020 girls basketball Scout Award. 

“Regionals was definitely my favorite moment because we had a huge student section and the game was a big rivalry. It meant a lot for us to win and we played super well together,” Ranallo said. 

Despite the pandemic, she has not taken time off.

“Coach Q, my trainer, motivates me because he pushes me to be better and always supports me. He’s always ready to work on my game with me and goes out of his way to help me improve,” she said. “I’ve stayed focused by setting goals for what I want to improve next season. I’ve gotten a lot stronger and faster, and worked on my shot and ball handling. I’ve been going to Quest Performance about four times a week for around eight months. I’ve also been meeting with teammates on Zoom and doing mini basketball lessons.”

Ranallo has proved herself as one of the most prominent parts of Lake Forest girls basketball. She accomplished so much during her freshman year, and one can only hope she is able to help lead the Scouts into deeper playoff runs in the future.