Sometimes, little things lead to bigger things.

After taking a five-point lead over Glenbard West into the locker room at halftime, York received a spark from its defense on the opening play of the second half.

Sophomore guard Will O’Leary stole the inbounds pass on the opening play of the third quarter to help ignite a 10-3 run that extended the Dukes’ lead to a dozen points midway through the period.

“I thought Will had a great steal,” said York coach Mike Dunn. “That set the tone, and then we kind of just do what we do — get stops and pound the ball inside to our big guys — Hunter (Stepanich) and Costa (Kampas).

The Dukes (25-4, 10-1) went on a second-half run to pull away for a 51-33 West Suburban Silver basketball triumph over the Hilltoppers (10-16, 6-4) Friday night in Glen Ellyn.

Princeton-bound, 6-foot-8 senior center Hunter Stepanich had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Dukes, who won for the 13th time in their last 14 games.

“Size is definitely one thing, but we emphasize to control the controllables, and that’s effort and hustle,” said Stepanich.

“This is the biggest team I’ve seen that feeds off each other’s energy and plays at that high level of intensity.”

Junior Joseph Lubbe scored nine of his 13 points in the second half for the Dukes, who made just 3 of 18 first-half shots from beyond the arc but held the Hilltoppers without a field goal in the second quarter.

“Typical West Suburban Silver game, especially the second time around,” said Dunn. “We knew it was going to be a grind.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well (in the first half), but we talked about that and told them to keep shooting.”

The Dukes relied on their height advantage for a 42-25 rebounding edge, thanks in part to the efforts of Stepanich, 6-5 Kampas (four rebounds), Jackson Rennick (seven rebounds), and O’Leary (five rebounds).

“Two things have made us successful — defensively, the way we guard, and the way we rebound,” said Dunn. “I’m proud of the kids. We keep getting better.”

With the win, York needs a victory over Downers Grove North next week to clinch a share of the WSC Silver title.

“One day at a time,” said Dunn. “Win today and try to get better tomorrow. That’s why we’re 25-4. We can’t win the conference tonight. We’ve got a game against a good Rockford Guilford team tomorrow, and then we’ll have a good Downers Grove North team coming in Tuesday.”

Nathan Poku and O’Leary added seven and six points, respectively, for the Dukes.

Senior Josh Abushanab finished with a game-high 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals for the Hilltoppers, who dropped their fourth straight.

“I think we made three 3s,” Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka said of his team’s 3-for-21 shooting from beyond the arc. “Defensively, we battled for a long time, but when they double your rebounds, it’s a hard time winning a basketball game.

“Realistically, it boils down to we’ve got to get tougher and we’ve got to get better, especially on the glass.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20260213/boys-basketball/boys-basketball-york-pulls-away-from-glenbard-west/