Prep boys' basketball: Miller torches Copper Hills in Brighton win

Brighton senior Brandon Miller scored 30 points in a game last week. The senior pumped in 30 again — in one half against Copper Hills on Tuesday.

The University of Utah commit's shooting exhibition resulted in 39 points as Brighton cruised by the visiting Grizzlies 80-46.

Miller, who left the Region 3 contest with 2 minutes, 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter, scorched Copper Hills from the perimeter from the outset. His first two 3-pointers were the result of designed plays to get him open looks against the Grizzlies' zone.

But in a first half where he hit his first eight shots, Miller also created his own treys twice with the dribble. And in another instance, the senior swished a long shot immediately after getting a pass from teammate Tremaine Nisson while guarded tightly.

"Honestly, it just felt good," Miller said. "When somebody's in a rhythm like that, a good shot kind of changes. If you're feeling it, a lot of different shots become good shots. I told coach I didn't want to come out I was feeling so good."

Miller outscored Copper Hills (7-8) by a 30-17 count by halftime. When Brighton senior Travis Debrashayee put back a miss with 2:40 remaining before intermission, it marked the first occasion in the game when Miller, who has scored 25 points at that point, was errant with a shot from the floor.

With a 45-17 lead heading into the third quarter, the host Bengals (13-4) opened that period with another trey by Miller that kicked off a 19-4 run. Brighton senior Bryce Callahan got into the long-range shooting act by making three 3-pointers during that stretch.

"They're playing really well, and we just want to focus on getting better every day," said Brighton coach Jeff Gardner, whose team finished with 15 makes beyond the arc, including 10 by Miller. "Our kids re competitors, and we're looking forward to the last stretch run of the year."

Copper Hills coach Andrew Blanchard joked about his defensive strategy next time his team faces Miller.

"Next time we'll probably just say our prayers a little bit more that he misses," Blanchard said. "We're 2-2 right now [in region play]and kind of where we wanted to be in order to make a run and hopefully get into the [state] tournament." —