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York's defensive effort stymies Glenbard West

York's leaned on defense all season, and it's still standing strong.

After Wednesday night it might be stronger than ever.

The Dukes rallied to upset Glenbard West 41-32 in the Class 4A East Aurora sectional semifinals, advancing to the title game in search of its first sectional championship since 1982.

Sixth-seeded York (20-12), which lost twice to Glenbard West in West Suburban Silver play, needs to spring another upset in Friday's final against No. 1 Benet (28-3). The Redwings edged York in early December, while the Dukes eliminated Benet in last season's regional title game.

"It was definitely the defense," said York guard Ryan Camp. "We clawed our way back. It was one possession at a time. Once we got it close we knew we had all the senior leadership and we'd be able to pull it out in the fourth quarter."

A 7-0 run to end the second quarter gave second-seeded Glenbard West (25-4) a 25-16 halftime lead. The Hilltoppers' - thanks to York's stifling ball press defense - didn't score for another 10 minutes.

York held Glenbard West scoreless the entire third quarter. Even though the Dukes still trailed 25-24, the tone for the final eight minutes was firmly set.

Connor O'Shea scored the game's first 10 points for Glenbard West before York shifted its defense. O'Shea, Alex Passi and Justin Pierce combined for 25 of the Hilltoppers' 32 points, but only 4 of those points came in the second half as Glenbard West managed 1 second-half field goal on a Brian Cochrane 3-pointer.

"They really did a good job of taking away what we wanted to do getting the ball inside," said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder, whose team won its first regional title since 2008 and set a program record for wins in a season. "That's just a credit to them. So much of what we do involves getting (Pierce) the ball, and they did a great job not letting us do that. It's disappointing but we knew this would be a real tough game."

After Cochrane's 3-pointer gave Glenbard West a 30-26 lead three minutes into the fourth quarter, York seized command with a 10-0 run spanning the next four-plus minutes.

Camp's 3-pointer gave the Dukes their first lead at 31-30 with three minutes left, and York led the rest of the way. Camp, Jack Morrissey and Nick Kosich combined for 12-of-17 fourth-quarter free-throw shooting to seal the win.

Camp and Kosich had 9 points apiece while Morrissey and Patrick Grabowski scored 8 apiece. Neither team made a field goal in the final 2:41 of the game.

"I'm very proud of our guys' effort, especially against such a great team," said York coach Vince Doran. "We've been here four times and we've had a couple of heartbreaking losses. To get here with this group, this one's special."

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Images: Glenbard West falls to York, 41-32 in sectional boys basketball

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