FREDONIA — Every game in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 West is a battle, and at least for the first half Tuesday night, the Fredonia Hillbillies and Salamanca Warriors were writing another chapter in that book.

But with an emphasis on an energetic second half, Fredonia took that battle and made it a blowout.

Using a second-half surge in which they outscored Salamanca 48-25, the Hillbillies walked away with a key victory on their home court by a final score of 74-48.

With only an eight-point lead at the half, Fredonia coach Nick Bertrando said he wanted his team to be energetic, and that energy came from the sixth man.

“We really talked about coming out in the second half with a hot, quick start,” Bertrando said. “Obviously playing at home, with the energy of our phenomenal fan base here, that got us going in the right direction. .. Hands down, this is the best in Western New York. It’s a luxury to have that type of fan base and these types of fans in a league that is so difficult.”

Fredonia senior Nick Whitfield and junior Ethan Fry set the tone early for Fredonia, with the two lighting it up on the scoresheet right from the get-go. Fry buried the first shot of the game, a 3-pointer, followed by two Whitfield baskets sandwiching a Gabe Schrader 3-pointer, giving Fredonia a 10-2 lead. Salamanca’s Andy Herrick and Harley Hoag were able to keep Salamanca within striking distance, but Fry simply could not miss. Fry buried two more 3-pointers in the quarter, with Whitfield contributing another basket, giving Fredonia an 18-9 lead at the end of one.

Fry’s impact on the game continued to be felt early in the second, as he hit another 3-ball following a Salamanca basket by Cole Hedlund, extending the lead to 21-11. Later, Fry would take one to the basket with the finish to maintain the double-digit lead, as he had all of his skills on display early on.

“Ethan Fry has had a really solid season for us,” Bertrando said. “The nice thing about him is he can do it from the inside and outside. He provides the opportunity to put the ball on the deck and to stretch the defense out.”

But from there, Whitfield took the baton. While the superstar Hillbillie had a couple assists on some of Fry’s buckets, he decided to make his own mark on the game. As Salamanca cut the deficit back to 25-20 thanks to five points from Herrick, Whitfield converted two points at the free-throw line, then threw down a dunk to put the lead back to nine. The Warriors were able to cut it back to cut it back to 29-23, but another strong lay-in by Whitfield ended the half on a good note, with a 31-23 lead.

With the focus on energy coming into the second half, Fredonia took Bertrando’s message and ran with it. The two-man duo of Whitfield and Fry in the first half was made a trio, as senior Nick Creeley got in on the scoring action. Following a Gabe Schrader 3 and a Salamanca basket from R.J. McLarney, Creeley scored two baskets inside, surrounding a crowd-erupting Ethan Fry three-point play, extending the lead all the way to 41-25.

“He had a big game not only tonight but the first time against these guys,” said Bertrando. “It was nice to see him do it from the inside and outside. I’m excited for Nick Creeley, as a third-year varsity senior, this is his last ride and for him to come out and perform the way he did, we’re extremely proud of him.”

While the crowd erupted after Fry’s three-point play, they weren’t prepared for how Whitfield would end the quarter. With the score at 44-32, Whitfield got a ball in transition and threw it down, and after a Creeley 3-pointer, the third quarter ended on another emphatic rim-hanging slam by the high-rising senior, serving effectively as the game’s death knell. That dunk from Whitfield gave Fredonia a 51-32 lead heading into the final frame.

Up by almost 20, Fredonia didn’t stop, adding another 23 points in the fourth to close the game out. Creeley built on his nine-point third quarter and followed it up with seven more, while Whitfield continued his one-man dunk contest, throwing down two more before the frame ended. Despite the best efforts of Harley Hoag, who scored nine points in the fourth, it wasn’t even for the Warriors to keep up, though they put up a strong game despite missing their best player, sophomore Lucus Brown.

The Warriors (10-3) were led in the game by Hedlund’s 16 points, while Harley Hoag scored 11, and Herrick scored 10.

Meanwhile, Fry led Fredonia (9-6) with 23 points, while Whitfield was right there with 22 points. Creeley ended the game with 16, all of which came in the second half.

Fredonia’s task doesn’t get easier, as they’ll travel to first-place Olean on Thursday night. Bertrando knows there are no breaks in league play.

“I keep saying it,” said Bertrando. “But I find it to be so true … this is the toughest league around, hands down. It is a battle every single night. The quality of athletes we have in this league, the quality of coaching we have in this league, and the quality of basketball is second to none.”

Bertrando gave credit to the crowd for providing the energy, but his team made it easy for the crowd to be as into it as they were. But the plays the crowd loved most were the Whitfield slams, as all five of them he had in the game spurred roaring cheers. By the end of the game, it’s pretty obvious that no one gets bored of seeing Whitfield dunks. Not even his coach.

“I’ll be 100% honest,” Bertrando said with a smile. “It never gets old watching him dunk the basketball.”