DUNKIRK — Before Friday’s game between the Dunkirk Marauders and the Falconer Golden Falcons, Dunkirk took a moment to honor K’vion Tell for a pair of accomplishments earlier in the week on the road.

On Monday, Tell became the third Marauders boys basketball player to reach 1,000 career points in a win over Southwestern. The next night, in Fredonia, Tell became Dunkirk’s all-time leading scorer in program history with another 30-point performance in a win over rival Fredonia.

“The community always comes and supports us, supports me. They were here for my ceremony. They are the best. I couldn’t wish for a better community,” Tell said.

Through the first half of Friday’s game, you would never have guessed that Tell was the leading scorer in program history. He had just four points at the break, as Dunkirk trailed Falconer 22-20.

In the second half, Tell left no doubt. He is the greatest scorer that Dunkirk has ever had.

Behind 28 points from Tell in the second half, Dunkirk took complete control of Friday’s CCAA Division 1 boys basketball game against Falconer at Dunkirk High School. Dunkirk outscored Falconer 45-16 in the second half to earn the Marauders’ third league win of the week, 65-38.

“When he gets going, it’s hard to stop him,” Dunkirk head coach Sixto Rosario said. “There are times when I tell him to take over the game, and he does that. He looks at me, smiles, and says, ‘Yes coach’, and he does it.”

Dunkirk (15-2, 8-2) trailed by four points at the end of the first quarter, 13-9, and by two points at the end of the first half, 22-20. The Marauders missed last-second shots in each quarter.

Falconer (9-9, 3-7) limited Tell to just one bucket in each quarter before the break, without letting him get to the free throw line or to connect from beyond the arc.

“We played with more poise and we played under control,” Falconer head coach Cordell O’Brien said of his team’s performance in the first half.

That changed quickly after the break.

“I said to them (at halftime) we are at home and we control what happens from here. We have to come out battling. That first half has got to be behind us, and we have to give everything we have,” Rosario said.

Tell put Dunkirk ahead in the first minute of the second half on a 3-pointer in front of the Dunkirk student section. After that, over the next four minutes of the period, Dunkirk continued to build its lead with 10 of the next 14 points.

“There was no doubt where I thought we weren’t the better team, but they were playing way harder than us,” Tell said. “We came out in the second half and showed we could play harder.”

Dunkirk ended the third quarter with an 18-6 advantage in the period for a 10-point lead, 38-28, entering the fourth quarter. Tell had 12 points in the third quarter. He then poured it on in the fourth quarter with 16 points – including four 3-pointers – as Dunkirk outscored Falconer 27-10 in the fourth quarter.

Tell, a junior, has an entire season to build upon his scoring record. Now he sets his sights on the school’s all-time scoring mark regardless of gender, currently held by Kymi Nance at 1,251 points. Nance’s former teammate, Jessica Beehler, is an assistant coach for the Marauders this season.

“At first, I couldn’t believe it,” Tell said of setting the Dunkirk boys basketball scoring record earlier this week. “When I got home and talked to my parents, I really was thinking how there’s been a lot of good basketball players at this school. For me to break that record, after years and years of basketball, it feels amazing. I feel accomplished. It’s something I’ve really wanted to do since I was a kid. To see all my hard work come through and I get recognized like that, it’s honestly amazing. I love the school for what they did. I couldn’t have wished for a better ceremony.”

After recognizing Tell for his accomplishments before the game, Dunkirk honored the seniors on both teams. Dunkirk first honored Falconer’s seniors: D’Mitri Carlson, Donovan Delaney, Max Parmentier, and Alex Nutt. They then welcomed all five Dunkirk seniors – John Bache, Avery Krystofiak, Malik McCall, Liam McQuiggan, and Naisaih Rodriguez – and their families.

“It’s a hard-working group. They are great to be around, good attitudes, they are funny – it’s a good group. Any coach would want that senior group,” Rosario said.

Tell led Dunkirk on Friday with 32 points, as the only player on his team in double digits. Tell’s backcourt mate, Aries Cheverez, had eight points. For the seniors, Krystofiak scored nine points; McCall had seven points; Rodriguez made a 3-pointer, and McQuiggan went 2-for-3 at the free throw line.

Falconer was led by Max Parmentier with 12 points and Marcus Parmentier with 11 points. D’Mitri Carlson added eight points for the Golden Falcons.

“They are a great team. They are 15-2 for a reason,” O’Brien said. “… It was a good team to lose against.”

Moving forward, Falconer has a pair of league contests next week, against Allegany-Limestone and Fredonia.

“This league is incredibly talented. There are a lot of veteran coaches who are consistently going to get their teams prepared. I think it’s really going to pay off in the playoffs,” O’Brien said.

Dunkirk now looks to wrap up at least a share of the Division 1 title next week with a pair of league contests with Allegany-Limestone, the last-place team in the league.

“It’s a change. We come out and play our hearts out every single game,” Tell said. “… We’re all locked in. We all want to win.”

Dunkirk’s last league championship was in 2011. Before that, it had not been done since the 1980s.

“I haven’t really thought about taking the division. If it happens, it happens,” Rosario said. “It’s really not the goal. The goal is to go one game at a time, see where we place in the playoffs, and try to get a home playoff game somehow.”

FALCONER (38)

Delaney 1 0 2, Carlson 4 0 8, Bianco 1 0 2, MarParmentier 5 1 12, MaxParmentier 4 2 11, Washington 1 0 3, Nutt 0 0 0, Miller 0 0 0. Totals 16 3 38.

DUNKIRK (65)

Tell 12 2 32, McQuiggan 0 2 2, Rodriguez 1 0 3, Bache 0 0 0, McCall 3 1 7, Kenner 2 0 4, Krystofiak 4 0 9, Cheverez 3 1 8. Totals 25 6 65.

3-point goals–MarParmentier, MaxParmentier, Washington, Tell 6, Rodriguez, Krystofiak, Cheverez.

Falconer 13 9 6 10 — 38

Dunkirk 9 11 18 27 — 65