Zach Miller’s real value lies in his ability to see what he’s not looking at and deliver a pass nobody saw coming.
At 5-foot-9 and still developing physically, he wouldn’t be one-half of a Division I backcourt if his shots weren’t accurate, too.
Jon Hill scored a game-high 24 points and the Northern Illinois-bound Miller scored nine on three 3-pointers and added seven assists as No. 6 Glenbard East gained sole possession of first place in the DuPage Valley with a 61-53 road victory Friday against West Aurora.
“We’ve been playing together for a while, and when I can see that look in his eye I know I have to get him the ball,” Miller said. “He had a great game. I hit myself one time because I missed him on the wing.”
With the Illinois State-bound Hill going off and Dante Bailey (7 points, 7 rebounds), Kevin Priebe (9 points) and Steve Kinney (9 points) making significant contributions, Miller struck a balance between playmaker and shooter.
Hill had 12 points in the second quarter as Glenbard East (14-1, 6-0) turned a five-point deficit into a four-point halftime lead. Miller hit a pair of timely fourth-quarter 3s to keep West Aurora (8-5, 5-1) and Juwan Starks (23 points, 7 rebounds) at arm’s length.
The first made it 49-42 early in the period. After the Blackhawks crept within three, Miller followed a Hill bucket with another 3 to make it 56-48 with 4 minutes, 36 seconds left.
“We have a lot of good shooters on this team,” Miller said. “We have so much depth on this team that I try to go to the open man. In the back of my mind I know I should shoot more. I hear it every day.”
Player of the game:
Jon Hill, Glenbard East, 24 points, 4 rebounds.
Key performers:
Glenbard East — Zach Miller, 9 points, 7 assists; Dante Bailey, 7 points, 7 rebounds. West Aurora — Juwan Starks, 23 points, 7 rebounds; Brandon Hayes, 12 points.
