MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — His playing time has been limited, but a smaller role hasn’t shaken Deion Miller’s confidence.
Madison’s senior guard is more sure of himself than ever.
The Richland Bank Athlete of the Week, Miller scored 11 fourth-quarter points as the Rams upset Ontario 59-53 in the opening game of last week’s Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge at Lexington.
After playing just 4 minutes and 47 seconds through three quarters and not attempting a shot, Miller confidently connected on 4 of 6 field goals and canned three consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth period. His long-range barrage came during a 13-2 run in which Madison turned a 47-43 deficit into a 56-49 lead.
“Every time I shoot it I should feel confident,” Miller said afterward. “When I was shooting it, it felt good.”
The following night, Miller made 1 of 2 triples for three points in Madison’s 56-49 win over Norwalk. In two games at the showcase event, Miller was a combined 5 of 8 with four treys and 14 points in slightly more than 24 minutes of floor time.
“To come off the bench like that, when he was a starter for us before, was huge,” Madison coach Tim Mergel said. “That is not always an easy thing to do, but he came in with confidence. There weren’t any bigger shots in the game.
“Deion’s biggest thing is developing some consistency and it’s hard because we’ve been a very inconsistent basketball team. We haven’t had many of the same lineups on the floor.”
Miller was a starter early in the season while a pair of regulars were serving two-game suspensions for violating team rules. He was relegated to the bench once the Rams were at full strength, but hasn’t let the reduced role bother him.
“I just don’t even think about it,” Miller said. “I’m a shooter. I’m going to keep shooting.”
While most teams are geared to slow down Madison’s dynamic backcourt duo of Tyrell Ajian and Billy Buckley, Miller gives opposing coaches something else to think about.
“We talked about really cheating off other people and making sure we got the ball out of their hands,” Ontario coach Joe Balogh said of Ajian and Buckley. “We didn’t expect (Miller) to hit those shots. He hits one and they come back to him and find him again and again.”
Playing alongside Ajian and Buckley opens up the floor for Miller and Madison’s other shooters.
“Setting screens for Tyrell or Billy gives us openings,” Miller said. “It gives shooters like myself the ability to actually be able to shoot the ball.”
With a pair of wins at the Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge, Madison climbed back above .500 at 5-4. The Rams kick off a busy January against West Holmes at home on Friday before visiting St. Peter’s on Saturday. Madison will play nine January games in the span of about three weeks.
“In order to be a good basketball team, you’ve got to have guys step up,” Mergel said. “Deion came in and knocked down shots and brought some energy. Those are the types of contributions we need going forward.”
