Over the weekend Wheaton Warrenville South hosted their annual Martin Luther King Jr. day basketball tournament which consisted of 16 teams from around the state. Heading into the tournament, the Dukes held a 17-2 record and were atop the West Suburban Silver conference. While they fell just two points short of Rockford East in the championship game, the teams’ outlook for the remainder of the season is still full of high hopes and expectation.

With four seconds left in the title game against Rockford East, senior Nick Kosich attempted a heavily contested three-point shot for the win, but it rimmed out and they fell 64-62. As devasting as it can be to lose in the final seconds, York almost achieved what would have been their second tournament title of the season. Now, the remainder of their season will consist of conference play.

“Playing a team like Rockford the way we did shows that we can compete against anyone,” senior Sam Walsh said. “Our team feels very confident for the rest of the season and we hope to win a conference championship.”

Ahead of the final game, the Dukes won two close games, beating Wheaton Warrenville South in the semifinal 49 -36 and Plainfield East 47 – 39 in which the Dukes shot seven for eight from the free throw line to close it out. But it all started with a bang when York beat Schaumburg Christian soundly by a score of 62 – 24. While it is very likely that York will never match up with any of these teams again this season, they proved to be a legit contender in Illinois as they dominated their way to the final round.  

“We expected to win the whole tournament but we were proud of the way we competed throughout despite the loss, “ junior Nate Shockey said. “We were upset with that loss after the last shot didn’t fall in our favor, but now we will turn that into motivation for the remainder of the season.”

The team now has just six games left before playoffs begin. Currently sitting at 5-1 in conference play, five of their last six games will be against conference opponents and they have the potential to make or break their season. Next up they will host Hinsdale Central this Saturday, the 26th. This is their first matchup with their rival this year, and while Hinsdale sits at just 5-13 on the year, 1-4 in the conference, anything can happen in a rivalry game. As the final stretch endures over the next three weeks, look for the Dukes to make a run into the state playoffs.

“Now we know we can beat any team we just have to compete and come ready to play in every game,” Shockey said. “I believe we are capable of making a run in the playoffs.”