Nicky Miller’s late block helps No. 3 Gonzaga hold off No. 1 DeMatha
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Version 0 of 1. A confident Nicky Miller stood near center court, pounding his palms together while nodding his head toward the bench over what had just transpired in the waning seconds of Wednesday’s matchup between No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 1 DeMatha. The celebration concealed the relief felt by the Gonzaga junior. Moments earlier, Miller had defied his own expectations by rising to block the shot of a taller player, effectively sealing a 73-70 road win for the Eagles in a WCAC thriller in Hyattsville. “I glanced up at the clock and thought, ‘Oh man, he’s got to put a shot up,’ and I went up and got the block,’” said the 6-foot-1 Miller, who scored 12 points off the bench. “I honestly didn’t believe it when it happened. But I knew I had to make a play.” Even with this being Miller’s first year on varsity and behind more highly touted Eagles Chris Lykes and Prentiss Hubb, Gonzaga’s basketball team has come to expect this from Miller. The last time these teams met, it was Miller’s older brother, Sam, who came through in the clutch during Gonzaga’s overtime win in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference final last season. With Sam now at Dayton, Nicky has extended the Miller legacy, sparking the Eagles off the bench with shots like the three-pointer he nailed Wednesday to give Gonzaga (15-2, 7-1 WCAC) its first lead early in the second quarter. “The reason I’m confident in giving him an opportunity is because of the work he puts in every day in practice,” Eagles Coach Steve Turner said. “We see him make plays and show his athleticism all the time.” For the dynamic Lykes, that meant drawing upon his preparation over the previous two days. After catching wind that 6-foot-6 standout D.J. Harvey would be guarding him, the 5-foot-8 Lykes worked on moves that accentuated his quickness as well as pump fakes to keep the taller defender off balance and help Gonzaga build a 10-point third-quarter lead. The Stags (16-3, 8-1) mustered a rally in the final two minutes and led 67-65. But on the ensuing possession, Lykes curled onto the right wing and launched a fadeaway three-pointer that fell into the net. Following Miller’s block, Lykes and Hubb sank five free throws to move the Eagles into a tie for first place in the WCAC. |