York shows Willowbrook it can pick up the pace
Pick a tempo - any tempo - and it'll be fine with York's boys basketball team.
Behind Nate Shockey's 25 points the Dukes answered Willowbrook's speedy play with even speedier play in Saturday's 70-58 victory in Villa Park.
The pace was certainly to the Warriors' liking, but York (8-1) truly thrived getting up and down the court. The Dukes forced 22 turnovers and scored off most of them as every member of a seven-player rotation tallied at least 4 points.
The hustle plays came from every corner of the court.
"We knew we had to match their style of play, and that's what we worked on all week in practice," Shockey said. "The guys in practice did a great job doing what they like to do, so we were ready. We moved the ball real well and got some easy layups."
The Dukes nearly broke open the game in the second quarter, but three straight 3-pointers by Sam Tumilty, who knocked down six 3s and scored 23 points, kept it close. York gradually extended the lead to double digits in the third quarter, pulling away with an 11-3 run to close the period.
"There was a three-minute stretch where we made some poor decisions," said Willowbrook coach Chris Perkins. "Next thing you know it's double digits. It forced us to play from behind, and that's a tough team to play from behind because they're fundamentally sound. We didn't do ourselves any favors in the third quarter."
York missed only 4 of 19 second-half shots, many that came under the basket in transition. But the Dukes also knocked down seven 3-pointers led by Shockey's four. Nick Hesch added 13 points while Jeff Grace, Denton Rohde and Luke Malaga each had 8 points.
Everett Stubblefield III scored 16 points for Willowbrook (4-5), which struggled to take advantage of the 18 turnovers it forced.
"You've got to take what's given, and we like to run," said York coach Vince Doran. "We shot really well, and that was good to see. Overall very happy with our effort. A lot of guys really hustled for us."
Twitter: @kevin_schmit