Glenbard West knocks off York

In a game in which York's pressuring zone defense limited Justin Pierce's shot attempts, it was the 3-point arc that turned out to be the best friend of Glenbard West on Friday night.

Knocking down 11 3-pointers, 6 of which came from the right hand of Alex Passi, the West Suburban Silver-leading Hilltoppers pulled away to a 62-47 victory against the Dukes in Elmhurst.

"We knew they were going to play a zone," said Passi, who finished with a game-high 24 points. "I was going to get some open shots and I was able to hit them. Last game (against York), we were able to get it inside. They made it tougher to pass inside but when we did get it inside, we were able to get it back out and hit some 3s when we needed them."

Five of those long range baskets came late in the third quarter and early in the fourth after the home team sliced a 24-15 halftime deficit to 1. Passi and Brian Cochrane nailed two apiece, with Connor Mullins also knocking one down, as the advantage swelled to 49-34.

"We hit big shots," Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder said. "They are confident and they like to shoot the ball and we shot it well tonight. It wasn't like we were any more open tonight (than other games), York's defense is so good. They guard both the perimeter and the middle, I don't know how Vince (Doran, the York coach) gets them to do that. It was a satisfying win for us."

Doran was proud of his team's effort, especially during the 16-8 third quarter run. York went 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in that stretch.

"They just shot the heck out of it," Doran said. "Give them credit. But our kids played well. I told our kids that I was as proud of them tonight as I have been all year. They left their hearts on the floor, that's all you can ask for."

Patrick Grabowski topped the Dukes (15-9, 4-4) with 15 points, including scoring all of his team's nine points in the second quarter, and Jack Morrissey chipped in with 11.

Pierce tallied 16 for Glenbard West (19-2, 7-1), going 7 of 9 from the free-throw line, while adding 9 rebounds. Connor O'Shea added 7 points and 5 rebounds.

"Every conference game is a grind, especially at York," Passi said. "Their band was cheering, the whole student section was cheering. We have to keep our composure and play our game. That was the key for us and we were able to get another big conference victory."