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Sports

Sullivan, York Return to Winning Ways

With standout Will Sullivan back in the lineup, the York boys basketball team wins the first game at its Jack Tosh Holiday Classic.

The pain of York standout senior Will Sullivan being sidelined with a right calf injury was bad enough.

He also had to watch the Dukes lose all three of the games that he missed.

"It was tough just because there were certain things that I would have liked to do to help out the team," Sullivan said. "A lot of guys stepped up. We would like to say in the games that we lost we grew as a team because a lot of guys had to step up and be more aggressive."

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Sullivan returned to the lineup Monday, and nothing was going to stop the Dukes. They built a double-digit lead in less than five minutes and rolled to a 66-46 victory over Palatine in the first round of their 37th annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic in Elmhurst.

York (5-5), the No. 7 seed in the 16-team field, advances to the quarterfinals at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday against unseeded South Elgin (6-4), which defeated No. 3-seed Oswego 74-58. Three of the eight seeds lost Monday, including No. 1 Maine South to St. Charles East 47-44 on a last-second half-court shot.

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Sullivan, who resumed practice Thursday, had 22 points with three 3-point field goals, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals and even had a 4-point play in the third quarter when he was fouled while draining his final trey.

It was his first game since Dec. 10, a career-high 34 points in an 84-75 loss at Proviso West that began a four-game losing streak. This was York's first victory since Dec. 3.

"Oh my God, it's been brutal just sitting and watching. I got all anxious sitting on the bench, but it feels great to be out there, and these are the guys I want to be playing with," Sullivan said.

"I was just trying to get my legs back a little bit. I was huffing and puffing a little bit at times, but it was a great team win. No selfishness, everybody was looking to make the extra pass, and we hit open shots and that's why we won."

York was relentless, combining tenacious defense with an attacking offense. The Dukes scored on 8 of their first 10 possessions and 13 of their first 19 to lead 21-6 after one quarter and 28-8 with 4 minutes, 52 seconds left in the first half.

The Dukes were in front 37-24 at halftime. Palatine (5-6) closed to within 10 points early in the third quarter but soon went scoreless for more than four minutes, allowing York to build a 57-34 cushion entering the fourth quarter.

Mike Despinich (12 points with two 3-pointers), Cody Kliethermes (11 points with three 3-pointers) and David Cohn (11 points, 6 assists) also scored in double figures. Freshman starter Frank Toohey, Rob Crowe and John Worley (4 rebounds each), Jake Rzeszutko and Joe Martino also saw significant time. Phil Ganser had 4 points and took two charges in the second half.  

"(Our energy) was fantastic. I was so happy for everybody," York coach Dominic Cannon said. "I thought our practice Thursday, Friday and today were outstanding. I thought Ganser gave us energy in the third quarter, guys came off the bench (to help). They learned from the losses and then you move on. I think the kids learned to grow up and they've got to handle the ball, they've got to handle some pressure."

Sullivan initially suffered a high right ankle sprain during York's Thanksgiving tournament, an injury that soon affected his calf. Right when Sullivan said he felt near 100 percent, he rolled the ankle again.

His calf was becoming worse after halftime against Proviso West, yet he burned the Panthers for 27 points in those final two quarters.

"I played on it and then after the game it just locked up on me," Sullivan said.
The change in York's fortune was evident Monday. Besides Sullivan scoring 6 points in the first quarter, his presence also opened up things for guards Kliethermes (8 points with two 3-pointers) and Cohn (6 points) on the outside and to complete transition baskets.

"(Sullivan) definitely helped us a lot. He's a huge part of our team," Despinich said. "He brings a ton of energy. The atmosphere at practice this morning, when he came back, was just really good."

York was just as impressive defensively, holding Palatine to 3-for-8 shooting in the first quarter with no offensive rebounds and seven turnovers. Despite being back at full strength, the Dukes employed several defensive looks.

"That's not my style, but it was my style tonight," Cannon said. "I'm not the type of guy that changes multiple defenses, but I felt it's the first game of the tournament, everybody's been off (from playing) for 10 days. I thought they did a great job. We got a lot of deflections, a lot of steals and that opened up our offense."

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