Federal Way’s undefeated record was in jeopardy. But Jishai Miller plays hero off the bench in win over Enumclaw
It wasn’t the usual suspects, such as Etan Collins or Jaden McDaniels, that allowed the Federal Way High School boys basketball team to outlast Enumclaw, a team hungry for revenge, on Wednesday.
Rather, it was junior wing Jishai Miller.
Miller provided a spark it needed off the bench and poured in 17 points to help lift the No. 3 Eagles to a 52-45 win over the Hornets at Federal Way High School on Wednesday.
It was the most narrow win of the season for Federal Way (17-0; 11-0 4A NPSL Olympic), which had won every game by double digits except for an eight-point victory over Sunnyslope (California) in the VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge in Arizona on Dec. 28.
“Jishai Miller came off the bench and really led us I thought,” Federal Way coach Jerome Collins said. “Did some good things offensively, defensively got his hands on some balls, got some key rebounds. Got some key buckets and some key free throws. So, hats off to Jishai Miller for his contribution tonight. … He did an excellent job.”
Federal Way has now swept the regular season series, having beaten Enumclaw, 56-42, on Dec. 14.
It wasn’t even his best scoring output. Miller had a career-high 23 points for Federal Way and drained seven 3-pointers in a Jan. 3 win at Todd Beamer this season, but even though it wasn’t as prolific, Wednesday’s contribution was more meaningful, facing an upstart and physical Enumclaw squad.
His energy off the bench was essential.
“I’m coming in and trying to play hard and I’m not going to let the physicality of the game affect me,” Miller said. “I’m just going to keep playing and persevere through.”
It was a back-and-forth affair for most of the first half, tied 16-16 at the 2:50 mark in the second quarter. Federal Way ripped off a 7-0 run to end the first half to bring a 23-16 lead into intermission.
The Hornets (12-5, 9-2) responded at the end of the third with a 9-3 run to pull within two. Federal Way’s Jaden McDaniels was whistled for a technical foul after some pushing and shoving ensued in the paint, allowing Peter Erickson to hit a pair of free throws during that stretch.
A free throw from Etan Collins, an and-1 from Jordan Magee, a 3-pointer from McDaniels and back-to-back jumpers from Miller spurred 11-4 run and extended the Eagles’ lead to 42-33.
“We just told ourselves calm down, play our game and just stick to what we do,” Miller said. “Let’s not let their run get in the way of what we came here to do. And what we came here to do was play our game, which is pass the ball around, look for the open man and get open shots, and we just didn’t let their run affect us.”
The Hornets would eventually storm back again, with Kaden Anderson drilling a deep 3 and Federal Way missing the front end of a one-and-one on its ensuing possession to give the Hornets a chance down 48-45 with 31 seconds left. But Erickson’s 3-point attempt missed off the back iron and Anderson turned the ball over on a player control foul after corralling the offensive board.
The Eagles iced the game with free throws from Magee and Miller.
Although Federal Way pulled it out, Collins is seeking more composure from his team moving forward.
“We have to learn to be in control and control our emotions and don’t let the emotions get the best of us,” Collins said. “It’s a learning experience.”
McDaniels also had 17 points for the Eagles. Anderson led the Hornets with 16 and Erickson chipped in 14.
Federal Way has now established a commanding two-game lead in the 4A NPSL Olympic division standings after Wednesday’s win. A win against Auburn Riverside on Friday at home would clinch the division title.
“(Our coach) was pretty much saying this a championship game for us,” Miller said. “We just came in knowing that and we were going to have to pull out the game, one way or another. And tonight, we did it.”
preps@thenewstribune.com
This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 4:46 AM with the headline "Federal Way’s undefeated record was in jeopardy. But Jishai Miller plays hero off the bench in win over Enumclaw."