Dunkirk’s Devaun Farnham brings the ball up the court while East Aurora’s Josh Denz defends during Monday’s Section VI Class B1 semifinal at the Buffalo State College Sports Arena. Photo by Ron Szot

BUFFALO — If anyone needed more proof of how up and down Dunkirk’s season has been, all they needed to do was watch the fifth-seeded Marauders’ Section VI Class B1 semifinal against East Aurora (18-3) on Monday evening.

Through the first three quarters, Dunkirk, which it has on the nights it has been at its best, dominated the top-seeded Blue Devils, outscoring them, 41-32. Then came the fourth quarter, which, in and of itself, was a microcosm of the Marauders’ “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” personality.

After a bucket by Cal McTigue cut the Marauders’ lead to 41-34, six straight points put them up 47-34 with 6:19 remaining.

Then the tide began to turn as East Aurora went to a pressure defense that stymied Dunkirk and helped lead the Blue Devils on a 25-8 game-changing run and a 59-55 come-from-behind win that left the Marauders’ faithful at the Buffalo State College Sports Arena stunned.

Dunkirk maintained a 12-point lead with 5:13 remaining, getting a free throw from Evon Hernandez for a 50-38 lead, but from there the Blue Devils went to work by using a full-court press to wreak havoc on the Marauders.

Still clinging to a six-point lead with 2:25 left, Dunkirk was unable to hold the Blue Devils down, as a basket by Noah Denz and a foul shot by Nick Montgomery got East Aurora within a single point with 57.4 seconds left. A steal and a layup by Josh Denz and another by Owen Smith helped seal the deal as the Blue Devils found themselves up 58-55 with just over 10 seconds to play.

Dunkirk had its shot at a game-tying 3-pointer, but Shamon Stewart’s long attempt bounced off the front of the rim into the arms of Cal McTigue, who was fouled immediately. He hit one of his two attempts at the line for the 59-55 final.

NOTES: Nick Montgomery led all scorers with 24 points while McTigue had 16. … Tyreek Buchanan-Ruiz had a team-high 17 points for Dunkirk while Hernandez chipped in 15.

DUNKIRK (55)

Garcia 1 0 2, Farnham-DeJesus 3 0 7, Buchanan-Ruiz 6 1 17, Hernandez 6 1 15, Butts 2 0 6, Stewart 4 0 8. Totals 22 2 55.

EAST AURORA (59)

Smith 2 0 4, NDenz 2 1 5, JDenz 2 2 7, NMontgomery 7 9 24, McTigue 6 4 16, JMontgomery 1 0 3. Totals 20 15 59.

3-point goals — Farnham-DeJesus, Buchanan-Ruiz 4, Hernandez 2, Butts 2, NDenz, JDenz, NMontgomery, JMontgomery.

Dunkirk 14 16 11 14 — 55

East Aurora 12 11 9 27 — 59