Miller's time for Glenbard East

The Glenbard East and Naperville North basketball teams played 32 minutes to open DuPage Valley Conference play on Friday night, but it was what sophomore guard Zach Miller did for the Rams during a one-minute span that set the tone.

Miller scored 11 points from 4:19 to 3:19 in the second quarter to turn a 21-15 deficit into a 26-21 advantage and the Rams never looked back in a convincing 67-51 victory.

"They had some success a few trips with their zone," Glenbard East coach Scott Miller said. "Finally we were able to hit some 3s and bring them out of that, which I thought was key."

It was Zach Miller who drained all 3 of his 3-pointers during his own personal run, but the Rams also received a nice shooting performance from Jon Hill, which opened up the interior for Lee Skinner and Paul Sanders.

Glenbard East (3-1, 1-0) may have committed 21 turnovers, but coach Miller was pleased with how the team moved the ball on offense without forcing difficult shots.

"The kids are unselfish and willing to make the extra pass," he said. "Plus it always helps when you knock some shots down."

Naperville North (3-2, 0-1) battled back from a 32-26 halftime deficit as the Rams turned the ball over twice and then missed their first three shots of the second half. James O'Shaughnessy split a pair of free throws to make it a 32-30 contest, but the Rams wouldn't relinquish their lead, going on a 20-8 run over the final 6:55 of the third quarter to take a commanding 52-38 lead.

"We had a nice five- to six-minute stretch there in the third quarter," Scott Miller said. "Our pressure seemed to take its toll and we were able to stretch it out."

The Huskies pulled to within 9 points at 56-47 with 3:27 remaining on a 3-pointer by Brian Bogart, but they wouldn't get any closer. A combination of 24 personal fouls, 21 turnovers, 10 missed free throws and the absence of starting center Matt Hasse took its toll on the Huskies.

"I thought we had cut the lead down and then suddenly there was a loose ball and they scored again," Naperville North coach Mark Lindo said. "We knew their guard play was good, and then we had 24 fouls and you can't do that."

O'Shaughnessy scored 9 points and collected 8 rebounds, and Danny Grimley added 9 points for the Huskies.