York falls short
York coach Vince Doran emerged from an emotional postgame locker room dripping with sweat.
Despite making nine 3-pointers and receiving a personal-high 29 points and 15 rebounds from Sam Walsh, the Dukes suffered a 58-56 defeat to Whitney Young in Wednesday's Class 4A Proviso West sectional semifinal in Hillside.
Throughout the season the Dukes kept on compiling victories and milestones en route to one of the best seasons in program history dating back to 1920-21.
But the Dukes (29-5) simply ran out steam - and players against the city powerhouse Dolphins (26-7). Senior point guard Nick Kosich, who made two 3s in the first quarter, missed the final two-plus quarters due to a head injury. Junior guard Nate Shockey and senior guard John Milling also fouled out. Kosich, a four-year varsity player, finished with 6 points. Senior guard Erik Cohn added 8 points and 6 rebounds.
York, which entered the game with 247 3-pointers on 39.6 percent shooting, finished 9 for 24 on 3s.
"I'm so proud of our guys," Doran said after emerging from a sauna-like locker room. "Losing Nick, one of our main guys, was tough. But our kids kept battling and grinding …. Everybody was playing so hard, and it was all for (Kosich). We certainly were outmanned at that point. We were right there, had some opportunities."
The Dukes opened the game in masterful fashion, building their offensive game plan around Walsh. The 6-foot-5 senior center scored the first four points to help the Dukes gain leads of 10-1 and 16-3 in the first quarter. Walsh relied on his size and toughness to overwhelm the Dolphins' interior players.
When the Dolphins sagged down to help double-team Walsh, he kicked the ball to open shooters on the perimeter. Walsh, a Merrimack College lacrosse recruit, also stymied the Dolphins by helping spread the floor with his perimeter shooting. His 3-pointer from the wing handed the Dukes a 21-9 lead at the 5:40 mark of the second quarter.
"We wanted to pass the ball around and get open looks for the 3-point shooters and play our team ball," Walsh said.
Young coach Tyrone Slaughter said Walsh's inside-outside play was a big factor in the first half. Walsh scored 17 points in the first two quarters to spark York to a 29-24 lead.
"(Walsh) had a great game," he said. "Tonight, he was phenomenal. We had no answer for him. We tried to front him, they threw it over and he got it. He made moves. He played outstanding and he deserved a lot of credit."
The Dolphins, who finished in second place in Class 4A last season, showed their championship mettle by taking advantage of Kosich's absence with their full-court pressure defense. Junior guard D.J. Steward, a Fenwick transfer, scored 10 straight points to give the Dolphins a 50-47 lead with 5:03 left in regulation. The Dukes had a chance to take the lead but missed a 3-pointer with just under two minutes remaining. The Dolphins made eight free throws in the final 1:33 to survive the upset bid.
"We were one shot away," Cohn said. "We knew it was going to be back and forth. Losing Nick, our best player, was tough."