DUNKIRK — The Olean Huskies are Dunkirk’s kryptonite this season.

Entering Friday night, through the first two months of action this season, the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record for the Dunkirk Marauders was a 42-39 loss to Olean on Dec. 18. The Marauders let the game slip away in the final period of play, outscored 9-4 in the fourth quarter of the three-point loss.

Last night, Dunkirk had a chance at revenge, but in another tight contest that went down to the wire, the Huskies came out on top again.

Even after Dunkirk overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter, Olean battled back to earn a 57-52 victory in a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 game at Dunkirk High School.

“At the end of the day, it was a good game. It could’ve went either way,” said Dunkirk head coach Sixto Rosario. “They have our number.”

Over the first 4:10 of the game, both teams answered each other with every basket. The first 12 points of the contest were split evenly at six-apiece. Olean (10-5, 5-4) got the next four points, then Naisaih Rodriguez hit a 3-pointer for Dunkirk (12-2, 5-2) to pull within a point. Malik McCall and Jayden Kenner each had go-ahead buckets for the Marauders, but Olean finished the period with a 15-13 lead thanks to a corner 3-pointer from Joe Mest just before the clock expired.

Olean built upon its lead with a 9-2 run over the first half of the second quarter. K’vion Tell ended the run with a deep 3-pointer just past the halfway mark of the period, which was his first shot made from the field, just over 12 minutes into play. The Huskies responded with seven straight points to pull ahead by double digits entering the break.

“Our shots weren’t falling,” Rosario said of the first half. “We needed to move the ball more and work together a little bit more as a team on defense.”

Dunkirk pulled to within seven points, 40-33, entering the fourth quarter after a 13-9 advantage in the third period. Tell hit a pair of 3-pointers in the frame, even as he was tightly covered and double-teamed throughout the night.

In the fourth quarter, the glimpses of magic Tell showed from beyond the arc were out in full force.

First, Jayden Kenner made a layup through contact for a 3-point play to cut the Olean lead to three points. Then, down six, Tell hit a 3-pointer to bring it back to within three points. After an Olean bucket, Tell hit another 3-pointer to pull to within a pair.

On Dunkirk’s next offensive possession, Malik McCall tied the game at 45-all with 4:51 left to play. Olean turned the ball over on its next possession, then after a timeout, Dunkirk finally had a chance to take the lead.

Tell did it in dramatic fashion.

With 4:10 left to play, Tell hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to put Dunkirk up 48-45. He hit the shot in a similar spot to so many of his big shots, not only on Friday, but throughout the year — right in front of the Dunkirk student section. In less than 12 minutes of action, Olean’s 11-point halftime lead was gone, and Dunkirk held a three-point lead.

Olean began to pull back in front with six straight points, but Tell brought Dunkirk back even again, fighting through contact for a 3-point play. After the free-throw fell, the game was knotted up at 51-51 with 1:57 left to play.

“He plays big,” Rosario said of Tell. “We always challenge him, when the pressure is on, what can you do? Can you create? And he creates. Those shots were big. They got us back in the swing of things, and he’ll continue to do that.”

With just over a minute left, Aries Cheverez showed off the ballhawk skills that made him an OBSERVER/Post-Journal All-Star selection during football season as Dunkirk’s safety. He leaped in the air to steal an outlet pass, giving Dunkirk the ball back.

However, Dunkirk later turned the ball over on an inbounds pass from the baseline, and Olean connected on an outlet pass the second time around for an easy layup in transition.

Down two points, with 25 seconds left, Cheverez split a pair of free-throws to leave Dunkirk down by a point. After fouling to send the Huskies to the line, Dunkirk was down just two points after Dominik Meyers split a pair of free throws himself.

The Marauders then had the ball down two points, with 9.2 seconds remaining, coming out of a timeout. Dunkirk inbounded the ball to Rodriguez, who then passed it to McCall. After splitting a pair of defenders, McCall dropped off a pass to Kenner in the paint, but the ball went off Kenner’s hands and into the arms of the Huskies. Tell did not touch the ball on the possession.

“We had them where we wanted them,” Rosario said. “But we didn’t execute.”

Olean then split a pair of free-throws again, but with only two seconds left, Dunkirk tried a full-court inbounds pass that was intercepted by Olean. Mykel Rivera sealed the game at the free-throw line for a five-point victory.

Dunkirk was led by Tell with 23 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. He had six 3-pointers in the contest, plus a 3-point play, and two more free-throws in the first quarter. Kenner and McCall each had seven points, while Cheverez and Avery Krystofiak each had six points. Rodriguez added one 3-pointer.

Olean was led by Mykel Rivera with 22 points. Adrian Bohdanowycz added 12 points, while Joe Mest had nine points and Dominik Meyers had eight points.

Up next, Dunkirk travels to Southwestern on Monday, followed by a rivalry meeting with Fredonia on Tuesday at Fredonia High School. Olean faces Falconer next, on Tuesday night in Olean.

“We’ve got another big week coming up. Come out and support,” Rosario said.

OLEAN (57)

Guenther 0 0 0, Myers 3 2 8, Bohdanowycz 6 0 12, Teachman 1 2 4, Hogle 1 0 2, Mest 3 2 9, Rivera 8 4 22. Totals 22 10 57.

DUNKIRK (52)

Tell 7 3 23, McQuiggan 0 0 0, Rodriguez 1 0 3, McCall 3 1 7, Kenner 3 1 7, Krystofiak 3 0 6, Cheverez 0 6 6. Totals 17 7 52.

3-point goals–Mest, Rivera 2, Tell 6, Rodriguez.

Olean 15 16 9 17 — 57

Dunkirk 13 7 13 19 — 52