Huntley advances to Sycamore title game

Huntley guard Troy Miller liked it when Chicago Hope's Jalen James switched to guard him.

Miller had never drawn the attention of another team's top defender before. Then again, he had never had a game like he did against Hope either. Miller scored 32 points going 12 of 14 from the floor, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range to lead the Red Raiders to a 71-45 victory in a semifinal at Sycamore's 48th annual Leland G. Strombom Tournament.

The win sends Huntley (2-0) into the championship game for the second-straight season against Dundee-Crown, a 67-65 winner over Burlington Central. This will mark the ninth time the two teams have met in the past 4 seasons.

Huntley will look for another quick start like it got off to against Hope (1-1).

“We knew we had to come out and play well because they're an athletic team,” Miller said.

With a 12-5 lead with 3:06 left in the first quarter, Huntley went on a 17-0 run jump-started by a pair of 3-pointers from Miller and led 29-5 just 55 second into the second quarter. The Red Raiders shot 10 of 13 from the floor in the first quarter and made 9 straight shots. Of the 9 shots, Miller made 6 with 3 three-pointers. Huntley shot 54.3 percent (25 of 48) from the floor in the game.

“He rarely misses,” Huntley coach Marty Manning said. “The way we run our offense allows him to get a lot of 3s. I looked up at the end of the third quarter and Troy had 30.”

Huntley never really allowed the Eagles back into the game extending its lead by as much as 50-16 in the third quarter, building on a 41-13 halftime lead. Much as James' was focused on Miller, the Red Raiders made sure they knew where the point guard was on offense.

The Red Raiders forced 23 turnovers and held James (4 steals, 3 assists) to just 4 points in the first half, although he did score 13 in the second to led Hope with 17. Huntley also looked to take away inside threat Torrance Johnson, who finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds.

But despite Johnson's size advantage, Huntley owned a 26-19 advantage on the glass.

“Those were our keys,” Manning said. Stopping (James) with the penetration and stopping (Johnson) down low.”