While James, a 22-time all-star, is certainly in the conversation as the NBA’s greatest player ever, Tell has put himself in that same conversation as far as Dunkirk High School’s greatest ever are concerned.

Just a junior, Tell scored 31 points Monday evening, in the process becoming the Marauders’ third boys basketball player to ever reach 1,000 points, as Dunkirk beat Southwestern 57-53 in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 action.

“He came to our program at the Salvation Army. … We laughed it off, but I knew he was special from that moment,” Rosario, Dunkirk’s head coach, said about his encounter with Tell years ago. ” … You could see it from the beginning. I’m just proud of him.”

Needing 18 points to reach the milestone, Tell had 16 at halftime as teams were tied at 26-all.

Southwestern’s Landon Hooks puts up a shot in the lane over Dunkirk’s Malik McCall during Monday’s CCAA Division 1 boys basketball game in West Ellicott. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

“My teammates were encouraging me, telling me what I needed to do,” Tell said. “I just needed to keep playing like I was in the first half.”

On the Marauders’ first possession of the third quarter, Tell pulled up from the top of the key and knocked down a long jumper to reach 1,000 points and give his team a 28-26 edge.

“Coming into the season, I knew it was possible,” Tell said of the milestone. “I didn’t think about it a lot because I knew we had to win.”

“We try to make a concerted effort to get out, but he makes some tough shots and even when you are pressed out, he’s tall enough, long enough to get it off,” Southwestern head coach Aaron Emley said. “When he starts feeling good, it doesn’t make much difference.”

There was still the matter of winning a key league game, especially after Dunkirk (13-2, 6-2) suffered its second Division 1 loss of the season, its last time out against Olean.

The Trojans’ Oscar Harris tied the game before Malik McCall gave the Marauders a one-point lead as the game went back and forth through the third quarter.

Jackson Carr’s lone bucket of the game on Dunkirk’s final possession of the third period gave the Marauders an eight-point lead and McCall’s two free throws to open the fourth quarter gave them their largest lead at 10.

But Southwestern (7-6, 4-4) began to battle back. Landon Hooks’ only basket of the night made it an eight-point game and Roger Markham followed with his fourth 3-pointer to make it 47-42.

After Tell and Colton Waite traded 3-pointers, Markham scored inside to make it a three-point game with 6:01 remaining. A pair of free throws from Waite and a bucket from Carter Casselman gave the Trojans their first lead since it was 30-29.

But Dunkirk’s Avery Krystofiak hit a 3-pointer to give his team a 53-51 lead and after Waite scored through contact to tie the game, Krystofiak scored again to make it 55-53.

Southwestern missed a shot on its next trip and then turned the ball over on five of its next six possessions.

“We’ve been playing well in those situations the last few games,” Emley said of the late-game breakdowns. “I don’t know what it was tonight, something just seemed a little off with a few of our guys.”

A missed layup on one of those possessions was the Trojans’ best chance to tie the game before Tell hit a pair of free throws with 20.7 seconds remaining to make it a four-point game.

“He’s scored 31 both times on us this year,” Emley said. “We knew he was a capable scorer, but he’s that good that even when you know it’s coming, he can still get it.”

Southwestern then missed a 3-point attempt and turned the ball over one final time as the Marauders dribbled out the clock.

The Trojans will take on nonleague Clymer on Wednesday while Dunkirk will return to league play tonight at rival Fredonia hoping to tie the Hillbillies atop the league standings.

“We just came off a close loss against Olean,” Rosario said. “To come back here and get back in the win column, play a tough game like this, it was great. It just felt good to close it out.”

NOTES: Tell became the third Dunkirk boy to reach 1,000 career points, joining Robert Nalepa and Greg Orcutt. … McCall finished with 11 points and Krystofiak had 9 for Dunkirk, which shot 22 of 59 from the field, including 6 of 20 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over eight times. … Markham had 22 points, Waite had 13 and Harris had 10 for Southwestern, which shot 21 of 63 from the field, including 6 of 24 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 17 times.

DUNKIRK (57)

Tell 11 4 31, McQuiggan 1 0 2, Rodriguez 0 0 0, MCall 4 3 11, Kenner 1 0 2, Krystofiak 4 0 9, Carr 1 0 2, Cheverez 0 0 0. Totals 22 7 57.

SOUTHWESTERN (53)

Harris 5 0 10, Hooks 1 0 2, Edwards 0 0 0, Waite 4 3 13, Markham 8 2 22, Casselman 3 0 6. Totals 21 5 53.

3-point goals–Tell 5, Krystofiak, Waite 2, Markham 4.

Dunkirk 13 13 19 12 — 57

Southwestern 9 17 11 16 — 53