Miller gets its title

PETERSBURG — The Miller School found a simple but effective formula for success against top-ranked Atlantic Shores Christian in the VIS Division II championship game on Saturday.

The Mavericks worked the ball inside early and often and used a stingy defense to upend the Seahawks, 69-61, and capture their first title.

Miller also got a stellar performance from junior Mychal Parker in the win. Parker did a little bit of everything, as he led all scorers with 26 points to earn tournament MVP honors. Parker also pulled down nine rebounds and had several assists and a pair of steals.

“We’re really excited — this is our goal,” Miller coach Fred Wawner said. “We’ve been here a few times and not gotten the trophy. Our kids played really well in January and February, and I think that got us [to this point]. We were able to go through some adversity in the game and still finish.”

The Mavericks, who led most of the game, put together a 7-0 scoring spurt to open the second half. Parker hit a trio of free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, then grabbed a defensive rebound and fed the ball to Marshawn Powell, who took it in for a nifty one-hand dunk. Brice Kofane capped the run with a basket underneath off an assist from D’Andre Corbin, and Miller held a 10-point advantage.

“Our strength is our big guys, and we were able to penetrate a little bit. And they did a great job finishing tonight,” Wawner said. “D’Andre and Mychal got it to Brice, Hippolyte [Tsafack] and Marshawn, and that’s how we have to play.”

Atlantic Shores cut into the lead with a pair of baskets — including a 3-pointer — from Andre Dawkins, a Duke commit.

But Miller extended its lead again with a timely 3-pointer from Parker and back-to-back buckets from Kofane and Tsafack off assists from Corbin.

The Mavericks continued to clamp down on the defensive end, putting pressure on the ball and limiting the Seahawks from getting second-chance shots. The visitors also did a good job of preventing Dawkins and Oklahoma-bound Steven Pledger from getting into a rhythm. Dawkins finished with 19 points (four threes) while Pledger paced Atlantic Shores with 20 points.

Miller maintained a double-digit lead for much of the second half before the Seahawks climbed back into it.

Trailing by 10, the Seahawks got a jumper from Brandon Britt and a 3-pointer from Pledger to cut the lead to five with 1:43 to play.

But the Mavericks went 7 for 10 from the free-throw line in the final 1:31 to hang on for the win.

While Parker had the hot hand most of the game, Miller used a well-balanced effort to prevail. Powell added 16 points, Tsafack contributed 13 points and six rebounds, and Kofane chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds.