NORTH HOLLYWOOD TOURNAMENT : Miller Puts on Finishing Touch, 69-68

Chatsworth High center Eddie Miller wasn’t able to start Wednesday night against Grant, but he was able to finish off the Lancers.

Miller made a six-foot bank shot after an offensive rebound with 19 seconds remaining to give the Chancellors a 69-68 victory in the first round of the North Hollywood tournament. The Chancellors will play Banning, a 77-55 winner over El Camino Real, in the second round tonight.

Miller was not in the starting lineup because he missed two days of practice because of a minor thigh injury. But he dominated once he entered midway though the first quarter, finishing with 19 points and 21 rebounds.

“I felt good while I was stretching beforehand and I knew I was ready to go,” Miller said.

Grant had a chance to win the game on an inbounds play with four seconds left, but Donald Patterson missed an 18-foot shot from the baseline.

Ronald Patterson, Donald’s brother, scored 30 points for Grant. He hit three times from three-point range in the fourth quarter to lead the Lancers back from a 13-point deficit entering the quarter.

Ronald Patterson’s three-pointer with slightly more than two minutes remaining made the score 65-65.

Chatsworth’s Tariq Hill made two free throws and Ronald Patterson one free throw before a driving layup by Freddy Ramirez with 43 seconds left gave Grant (4-3) a 68-67 lead.

“We lost our concentration and guys were getting into foul trouble,” Miller said. “We lost one to Carson that was just like this and we didn’t want that again.”

Chatsworth (3-1) had 19 turnovers, 18 in the last three quarters.

“So far this season, we’ve been a peak-and-valley team,” Chatsworth Coach Bill Whiting said. “That part was one of the valleys.”

Hill finished with 24 points and made three of five three-point shots. Guard Jerome Joseph added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Chancellors.

Taj Rollins scored 14 points for Grant, 12 in the second half. Donald Patterson finished with eight points.

In other first-round games:

Banning 77, El Camino Real 55--The Pilots (7-1) used full court pressure and 21 points from Harold McCrimmon to dominate the Conquistadores (1-6), who got 25 points from Jermel Jones.

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Monroe 84, Garfield 64--The Vikings (4-3) used an 18-3 run in the second half to break open an game that was tied, 45-45.

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North Hollywood 77, Granada Hills 67--Mike Delano scored nine of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Huskies (4-2), who got 24 more from Shannon Johnson.

Ernest Quinley had 28 points for Granada Hills (3-4) and William Ruffin added 19.