Boys basketball: York’s inside game keys tight win over Glenbard West

York controlled the boards, and ultimately the game, Friday night against visiting Glenbard West.

The Dukes had a more than two-to-one advantage on the glass against the Hilltoppers, and they needed every one of those rebounds — and some clutch play down the stretch — to secure a 53-49 West Suburban Silver win.

York led by as many as 16 in the first half, lost the lead late, then battled back to score the victory.

“Great coaching (tonight),” said Dukes 6-foot-9 senior Hunter Stepanich, “great teammates, and we executed our game plan and were able to close it out (at the end.)”

“You’ve got to give them (Glenbard West) credit, we know they’re a good team,” added Stepanich.

Senior Josh Abushanab scored a game-high 23 points for the Hilltoppers.

“A typical West Suburban Silver Friday night,” said Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka. “First place game type of atmosphere, good crowd, and our kids just never stopped fighting. I take my hat off to our ballplayers, but York made a couple more plays down the stretch and that got them the victory.”

York got off to a fast start. They scored the first seven points of the game, and took a 19-8 second quarter lead after a 3-pointer from junior Nathan Poku.

The Dukes extended the lead to 16 midway through the period, but Glenbard West rallied.

Their defensive pressure rattled York, and when Abushanab got a steal and coast-to-coast layup, the Hilltoppers deficit was just 30-26.

York (17-3, 7-0) took another double-digit lead after intermission, led by junior Joseph Lubbe (team-high 18 points including four 3-pointers). Then Glenbard West rose to the occasion again.

The Hilltoppers (7-10, 3-2) stormed back and grabbed a 46-45 lead early in the fourth after a 3 by junior Brady Johnson, then the teams battled back and forth until the final minute.

“We never give up,” said York sophomore guard Will O’Leary. “The (last minute of the game) was really chaotic and really electric, especially with our crowd. We knew we had to get the ‘W’."

With 30 seconds remaining and the score tied at 48-all, O’Leary came down with a big defensive rebound, and hit a layup on the other end to give York a 50-48 advantage.

Then Stepanich got a steal on Glenbard West’s next possession, and the Dukes closed the contest out at the free throw line.

Lubbe and O'Leary hit key foul shots in the final 10 seconds.

"We always bounce back from adversity," added O'Leary. "Our coaches (preach that to us) and we always follow through."

O'Leary finished with 9 points for the winners, while Stepanich pitched in with 8 points, and led his team in rebounds with 6 — 3 of those on the offensive end.

"At halftime, our coach (Mike Dunn) gave us a good speech," said Stepanich. "He told us we should execute and have a sense of urgency, and we were able to handle things at the end."

Johnson scored 9 points for the Hilltoppers.

"No matter what, we're going to walk out of here with our heads up," said Opoka. "We're going to build off of this momentum, knowing that we can compete with a top 20 team in the state of Illinois.

"We've just got to stick together and day by day continue to build up that mountain."