BOYS’ BASKETBALL NORTH HOLLYWOOD TOURNAMENT : Chatsworth Upends North Hollywood

Chatsworth center Eddie Miller said he was praying during the Chancellors’ championship game against North Hollywood in the North Hollywood tournament on Friday night.

The 6-foot-8 Miller was getting close shots, but missing almost everything. So while running up and down court, grabbing rebounds and setting picks, Chatsworth’s big man was privately pleading for some divine intervention.

His prayers were answered.

Miller made a lay-up with two seconds left to lift the Chancellors to a 57-56 victory.

“I was begging,” said Miller, who scored six of his eight points in the final minute and 19 seconds.

Chatsworth led by as many as eight points until the final 3:30. Terry Smith-Harris gave North Hollywood a 52-51 lead when he made a three-foot jumper.

North Hollywood’s Lonzo Cotton made two free throws with 2:01 left to make it a three-point Husky lead.

But with 1:19 left, Miller was fouled and went to the line.

The Huskies must have felt they had fouled the right guy. Miller had only two points. In the third quarter, he missed three jump shots inside the key, blew a layup and had another shot blocked by sophomore Shannon Johnson.

“I just thought to myself, ‘Please, just let me get a free throw,’ ” said Miller, who had 10 rebounds. “The last two games, I’ve been in a slump. The shots are there, but they just don’t go in.”

Miller made both free throws to cut the Husky lead to 54-53. Then, after Jeffrey Carpenter missed the front end of a one-and-one, Miller made a short turn-around jumper to give Chatsworth the lead with 34 seconds left.

But the Huskies weren’t finished. With 11 seconds left, Smith-Harris put in a rebound off a jump shot by Arthur Lee to give North Hollywood a 56-55 lead.

Time out, Chatsworth. Get the ball to Miller.

Chatsworth (5-1) in-bounded, broke the Huskies’ half-court trap and got the ball to Tariq Hill in the corner.

North Hollywood’s Johnson, flanking Miller under the basket, was the only defender. Hill could have taken a jump shot from the corner or drove the base line. But when Johnson broke toward Hill, Hill passed to Miller.

Johnson deflected the pass, but not enough.

“(Johnson) tipped it to me,” Miller said. “I thank him for the assist. This is a real big win for us.”

Lee finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, and Johnson had nine points and 12 rebounds for North Hollywood. Smith-Harris, who thought he had the game-winner, finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

“They played a good game,” Smith-Harris said. “It was a battle.”

Jerome Joseph had 19 points and Hill 12 for Chatsworth.

North Hollywood (5-3) was playing without 6-6 forward Michael Delano for the second night in a row. Delano, who had 24 points against Granada Hills in the tournament opener, has been suspended from the team indefinitely, Coach Steve Miller said.

“I think we have to learn how to play without that guy,” Miller said. “And I think we did some nice things tonight.”

Monroe 78, Banning 68--Shaka Stiner had 27 points, Tim Johnson added 18, and Quincy Brooks contributed 13 and seven assists for Monroe (5-3) in the third-place game.