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player ready...Halfway through the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic, the York boys basketball team found itself in the midst of a five-game losing streak, with each loss occurring at home.
The Dukes entered their annual tournament, which they won in 2015, having lost three straight and fell to Providence and Batavia in their first two games last week. York recovered to beat Palatine and Metea Valley to enter January at 7-6 overall, and the Dukes remained optimistic despite their inconsistent results.
“We play well in spurts,” York coach Vince Doran said. “We have some really good moments, but we need to be more consistent.”
One player who showed promise at the tournament was senior forward Jordan Gray, who had 19 points against Providence and 25 points and 15 rebounds against Metea Valley.
“(Gray) is having a good year, and we need him to keep having good nights for us,” Doran said.
A 6-foot-5 forward, Gray is the Dukes’ strongest presence in the low post, and consistent production down low will help offset poor shooting games from the outside. The Dukes made just 4 of 17 3-pointers against Providence.
“That’s usually not a problem for us,” Gray said. “We have some really good shooters like (sophomore guard) Nick Kosich and (senior guard) Nick Trapani making those shots for us. We’ll get better.”
Notes
The Dukes visit Hinsdale Central on Saturday in a girls and boys basketball doubleheader.
Conant defeated St. Patrick 49-35 to win the Jack Tosh tournament title.
Chris Vavra is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press