Since she was a baby, Dajour Miles has gone by “Cinnamon.”
Her mom gave her the nickname. Now everybody calls her that.
Miles was heralded on the track before she even entered high school, an Illinois age group record-holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.
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Miles has a pretty sweet basketball game, too. And it’s been a sweet homecoming to West Aurora this season.
Miles, a 5-foot-5 sophomore guard, kept it going Thursday. Her 15-foot jumper with just under three minutes left broke a tie and helped the Blackhawks beat host West Chicago 44-37 in the Upstate Eight Valley.
Miles, who scored six of her eight points in the second half, pump-faked on a 3-pointer, stepped in and sank the midrange shot to put West ahead 37-35 with 2:54 left.
“I just wanted to drive there,” Miles said. “I knew my shot was off. I just pulled up, and I knew I would hit it.”
Sophomore Keva Thomas led West (8-7, 3-0) with 15 points on five 3-pointers, including one after Miles’ go-ahead basket. Essence Rayford added 13 points, including nine in the second half.
Miles attended Waubonsie Valley as a freshman, but she feels quite comfortable in Blackhawks red, white and blue.
Her sister, DeAndra Stewart, is a 2012 West graduate and also played basketball there. In fact, Miles’ whole family went to West.
“I was already around the program all the time with my sister,” Miles said. “It’s been an easy adjustment coming home.”
West’s win snapped a three-game losing streak. That stretch coincided with Miles being slowed by a sprained ankle. She’s alternated with Skylar Doby as West’s leading scorer this year, but that’s just half what Miles brings to the table.
“She makes us so much faster with her speed and her defense,” West coach Connie Siljendahl said. “She creates things for us on offense and really disrupts things on defense. She was hurt, but I feel like she’s back now.”
Miles did show some signs of rust. She missed five of her six shots in the first half, including both 3-point tries.
It hardly affected her later.
“Having her and Kiyanna (Rodgers) in there running baseline helps a lot,” Siljendahl said. “They both can shoot 3s and drive the ball. The shooting wasn’t on, but the driving was.”
Thomas kept West afloat in the first half, hitting four of her five 3-pointers as the Blackhawks trailed 19-18 at the half.
West Chicago’s Samantha Wiegele hit a 3-pointer as time expired in the third quarter, sending the Wildcats (6-11, 2-4) into the fourth quarter leading 33-32.
Neither team led by more than three points in the last three quarters until Miles hit her jumper, rebounded a West Chicago miss at the other end and assisted Thomas’ 3-pointer.
The Blackhawks did much of their damage at the free-throw line in the second half, going 12-for-24 after not attempting one in the first half.
“It wasn’t really talked about at halftime, but that is one of our goals,” Miles said.
Joshua Welge is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.