Morgan Park sophomore Adam Miller missed his first three-point shot against Fenwick on Saturday in the When Sides Collide shootout at Glenbard East.
Then he made the next nine.
“I didn’t even know,” Miller said. “I was just in the flow of the game doing what I do.”
Miller scored 32 points to lead the No. 5 Mustangs to a 76-67 victory against the No. 7 Friars.
Miller was 9 for 11 from three-point range. Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin was also a great shooter back in his playing days.
“[Miller] can’t shoot better than me,” Irvin said. “He hesitates too much to shoot better than me. He’s catching me though. He’s a flamethrower. When he gets his feet set he’s probably the best shooter in the country.”
“I expect him to say that,” Miller said. “He really has the edge right now because he put up bigger numbers as a sophomore, but I’m on my way.”
The game was a showdown of two of the state’s top sophomores, Miller and Fenwick’s DJ Steward.
“I knew people were paying money to come out and see us,” Miller said. “We are both top ranked so we have to show up and perform.”
Steward finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Miller has stepped up his scoring since Morgan Park senior Ayo Dosunmu, an Illinois recruit, has been out with an ankle injury.
It was a back and forth, fun game. Fenwick led by two at the half and Morgan Park led by one after three quarters. The Mustangs took control with a 9-0 run to open the fourth quarter.
Another sophomore was a major contributor, Morgan Park guard Marcus Watson. The point guard scored 16 points.
“Marcus has been a gamer,” Irvin said. “He plays both ends and is the fastest player on the floor. He’s the complete package.”
Cam Burrell scored 14 for Morgan Park (15-7). Damari Nixon scored nine points and Billy Bruce added eight for Fenwick (14-6). Lucas Kolovitz, playing in place of injured big man Mike O’Laughlin, scored eight and grabbed nine rebounds for the Friars.
Miller has had some impressive games this season, but this was his breakout performance. Some recruiting analysts consider him the state’s next big star. Irvin says that is the plan.
“I sent him press clippings from when I was a sophomore, showed him I was scoring 30 and 40,” Irvin said. “I want him to know he doesn’t have to hold back because he is a sophomore and there are seniors on the team. You have to be who you are. I think he’s starting to do that.”
Irvin said he expects Dosunmu to sit out until he is fully healthy. Dosunmu tried to play on his injured ankle in two games earlier this month.
“I’m going to take it slow with him,” Irvin said. “We have a state championship to win, that is what it is all about with him. We are going to shut him down until he is 100 percent.”
