When Kiwane Garris took his show to Champaign last fall, Westinghouse had to seek out a new team leader for the first time in four seasons.
But after the Warriors lost to Farragut two weeks ago, the search was still in full swing.
Finally a breakthrough came Thursday afternoon on the West Side, when Westinghouse senior Mark Miller picked up the baton and began to run with it. Miller even “out-Kiwaned” Garris while leading the Warriors to an 81-64 victory over Lincoln Park.
Miller’s 41 points and 10 steals helped snap Lincoln Park’s winning streak at 14 games and showed who’s still the boss in the rugged Red West. With the victory, 12th-ranked Westinghouse (12-4, 3-1) moved into a first-place tie in the West with No. 15 Lincoln Park (15-2, 3-1) and Whitney Young.
“Nobody can catch us if we play our game,” coach Roy Condotti said.
Westinghouse’s 20 steals, including four straight in a decisive 34-second span late in the third quarter, proved that defense, not teeth-chattering jams, still win games in the wild West.
Miller turned four of his steals into inside baskets and added three three-pointers on 13-of-24 shooting.
“Miller took us out of our zone single-handedly,” Lincoln Park coach Nate Mason said. “We came in prepared for his outside shooting, but he made us switch to man-to-man.”
“We were sluggish, but it was a great individual effort by Mark,” Condotti said. “He put on an exhibition.”
Westinghouse led 46-39 with 2 minutes 38 seconds left in the third when Miller knocked down an 18-footer and Westinghoue cranked up its press. Miller stole the inbounds pass and laid it in for an 11-point lead, and his next steal led to a free throw. Miller’s third steal in thirty seconds led to his jam, then Darius Williams’ steal led to a Ralph Williams layin.
John Owens, who scored 29 last week in a Lincoln Park victory at Farragut, was held to 10 points by double-teaming in the post from Damion Dantzler and Tyjuan Finley. Owens fouled out on a charging call with 2:49 left and Westinghouse up by eight. Owens then bumped an official and received a technical to take his team out for good.
Randall Scott led Lincoln Park with 29.
For Westinghouse, whose only Red-West loss came on a buzzer-beating jumper by Farragut’s Ronnie Fields, the victory over Lincoln Park was just another learning experience on the way to the Public League playoffs.
“It’s a good start,” Miller said.
