Though both sides of the gym kept up the cheers all game, the boys in orange on the court gave their side a lot more to cheer about.

The Fredonia Hillbillies came away with a 59-30 win over the Dunkirk Marauders in Friday’s CCAA Division 1 West boys basketball rivalry game at Dunkirk High School.

“They were calm, cool and collected,” said Dunkirk coach Luke Gullo. “We were hot and bothered. … The one thing you can’t replicate is game experience at the varsity level. They have it and we don’t.”

After a slow start to the first quarter by both teams, Dunkirk (1-4, 0-2) jumped out to a seven point lead with under two minutes remaining in the period on the strength of an 11-2 Dunkirk run.

OBSERVER Photo by Justin Goetz Fredonia’s Tyler Putney (right) looks to pass over Dunkirk’s Devon Kubasik during Friday’s basketball game in Dunkirk.

“We had a genuine, strong effort,” said Gullo. “I think our kids, in front of their fans, it’s amazing. There’s magic in this building. For a short period of time, it lets a younger, less experienced team really play with anybody.”

Fredonia (4-1, 2-0) was able to answer Dunkirk’s run, with seven straight points in the final 90 seconds of the period to tie the score at 11-all.

Early in the second quarter, each team traded five-point spurts, leaving the game deadlocked at 16, just two minutes into the frame.

“We’re still trying to diagnose why we are struggling out the gate,” said Fredonia head coach Nick Bertrando. “With this group, I had the confidence we’d eventually get the right puzzle pieces together and start clicking.”

They certainly clicked. From that point on, it was all Fredonia.

OBSERVER Photo by Justin Goetz Dunkirk’s Tywon Wright (left) goes up strong against Fredonia’s Nick Whitfield (22).

The Hillbillies scored the final 13 points of the first half, as the Marauders went cold over the final five minutes. Fredonia led 29-16 at the break.

Fredonia continued to pile on in the third quarter, as Ka’Rim Levens hit a late 3-pointer from the corner to put Fredonia up by 15. The period concluded by a follow-up lay-in by Nate Shuart to put Fredonia ahead by 17 points headed into the final frame.

Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Fredonia led by 22 points, and the game did not get within 20 points the rest of the way.

“The rivalry means a whole lot, but at the end of the day, this is a league game and another opportunity for us to get a little closer to what we’re trying to achieve this year,” said Bertrando. “Yes, it’s a rivalry game — it’s huge for both communities. It’s an awesome event, because there’s very few rivalries still. It’s just another league game for us, but there’s a little extra flavor beating Dunkirk.”

The win was the first for the Fredonia seniors against Dunkirk. The last win for Fredonia as a program over Dunkirk came in the 2015-16 season, before any of the current Hillbillies were a part of the varsity program.

OBSERVER Photo by Justin Goetz Dunkirk’s Earl Stewart goes up for a fastbreak layup.

“This was my first time beating Dunkirk, so it means a lot to me,” said Fredonia senior Nate Shuart. “It means a lot being a senior, too. This was my last game in Dunkirk. It means a lot to win this game … and it’s good because we keep our winning streak going and keep the good momentum for games in the future.”

Shuart and Tyler Putney each had 14 points to lead all scorers.

“Both of them really were letting the game come to them,” said Bertrando. “They really took their time and didn’t force the issue. Tyler has a really unique ability to be able to hit shots from the outside and Nate is a 5-foot-whatever tank inside. They really played with their teammates.”

Earl Stewart led the way for Dunkirk with 11 points. Devon Kubasik had five points in his first full game back from injury.

“Earl Stewart became our leader tonight,” said Gullo. “He took a lot of things on and he ran our offense. Beyond Earl, Koty Leeper is playing way beyond himself. He’s a senior and is going to be entering the Marines. We’re very proud of him, because he’s our soldier. He does a lot of the dirty work, though it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.”

Fredonia has now won four games in a row and win their third game of the week. The Hillbillies host Southwestern next, on Wednesday, for their third straight league contest.

“It’ll be a quick turnaround, but you’ve got to enjoy this, too,” said Shuart.

Dunkirk will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday, at Frewsburg.

Though it is just one game in mid-December in the record books, Fredonia certainly found a way to make Friday a night to remember.

Twitter: @bradencarmen