The bigs stepped up big time for York on Tuesday night at Glenbard North.

Dukes 6-foot-8 forward Hunter Stepanich scored 10 points, all in the second half, to go along with 12 rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal, as York defeated the Panthers 53-49 in a nonconference matchup.

Teammate Costa Kampas (6-5) came up clutch after intermission as well, giving a huge effort on the glass and on the defensive end in the pivotal third quarter.

“It was awesome, a great game,” said Kampas. “Our team stuck together. There were ebbs and flows in this game, and our team just held it together.

“Our role – the big guys – is just to be as dominant as possible. Give 100% effort on each play, and we want to be the most physical team in the state. We want to out rebound (the opposition) and play to the best of our capabilities.”

Junior Joseph Lubbe led the way on offense for York with 19 points, while junior Oturo Redento paced Glenbard North with 14 points at Hudson Gymnasium in Carol Stream.

It was the eight straight victory for the Dukes and their 12th triumph in the last 13 contests.

“They’re a good team, and I’d rather lose to them now than at the end of the season,” said Glenbard North coach Kevin Tonn. “Hopefully we can learn from this game. They’re a great opponent, they run their stuff really well, and they’ve got some big guys, and they use those pieces really well too.

“A lot to learn from, and we’ve got a tough schedule, so we can’t hang our heads. We’ve got to get right back on the horse.”

The Panthers raced out to a 12-3 early lead, and with 2:47 remaining in the first period, York coach Mike Dunn had seen enough and called a quick timeout.

“We came out a little flat,” said Stepanich, “but we fixed that (during the timeout). We just had to play our type of basketball, come out firing, and get back in the game.”

The Dukes rallied and took its first lead at 13-12 after a 12-footer by Lubbe early in the second quarter. The visitors extended that advantage to 27-18 after a 3-pointer from junior Nathan Poku at the halftime buzzer.

York (20-3) drove the lead to 11 midway through the third, but with Lubbe on the bench in foul trouble, Glenbard North (16-5) cut into the deficit.

The Dukes kept the pressure on in the fourth, and a 3-pointer from Lubbe with 22 seconds remaining gave them a 50-43 lead.

But the Panthers weren’t done. They closed to within 53-49 and had possession of the ball with 13 seconds left, then tough defense down the stretch from York closed out the win.

“We didn’t know what they (Glenbard North) were going to run,” Stepanich said of the Dukes’ mindset in the final seconds. “But we know whatever it was, we’d be ready for it.”

Junior Sawyer Asgedom pitched in with nine points for York on three 3-pointers. Lamari Carpenter and Matt Welch each scored 12 for Glenbard North.

“We were making shots (early in the game),” said coach Tonn. “Offensively, we were getting to our spots and working the middle. Unfortunately for us this is the second game in a row we got down. We were down (by 11) at one point.

“We were able to speed them (York) up a little, and I think we did a good job of that. But at the end of the day we can’t rely on that kind of stuff (to come back from a big deficit) and expect to get a win.”