The Wolverines kicked off their season with a 69-37 victory over the Dunkirk Marauders in a non-league boys basketball game at Dunkirk High School on Monday night.

With many mouths to feed from the talented Wolverines lineup, it was the big man that feasted on the Marauders on monday. Westfield center Andrew Baribeau led all scorers with a game-high 20 points, all of which came in the first three quarters. Baribeau was too much for Dunkirk to handle in the paint, highlighted by 12 points in the first half on five field goals in the paint, including a pair of and-one layups through heavy contact. All of Baribeau’s points came off layups in the paint or free throws where he was fouled in the paint.

“We had to come out and make a statement,” said Baribeau. “We finished bad last year, but we wanted to come out good this year. We want to make sure everyone knows where we’re at.”

Dunkirk (0-2) put up a fight early in the first quarter, as the game’s first 14 points were split evenly at 7-7. However, Westfield took control of the game from there and never looked back. The Wolverines went on an 11-0 run to end the first quarter, beginning and ending with Baribeau layups. Westfield (1-0) wasn’t satisfied yet, as the Wolverines kept the ball rolling with the first 12 points of the second quarter. Combined with the run to end the first quarter, the Wolverines scored 23 straight points to turn a 7-7 score into a 30-7 Westfield lead.

Westfield’s Dylan Scriven (13) shoots a layup during Monday’s non-league boys basketball game against the Dunkirk Marauders at Dunkirk High School. OBSERVER Photo by Ron Szot.

“I expected a lot from this group. We’ve been playing together a long time,” said Baribeau of his team. “We try to find the open man and get the good looks.”

“When he’s the biggest kid on the floor, you have to give him the ball,” said Westfield coach Bob North of Baribeau. “I thought we did a nice job of feeding him.”

After Westfield jumped ahead 30-7, the Wolverines led by 20 points the rest of the way. After the score was 46-20 in favor of the Wolverines in the third quarter, Westfield closed the quarter on an 11-0 run, marking the third straight period of play featuring a run of at least 11 straight points for the Wolverines.

“I think our kids are disappointed, because they expected something, but they had a real wake-up call tonight,” said Dunkirk coach Luke Gullo after the game.

The highlight of the fourth quarter for Dunkirk was seven straight points from A’Marion Tell, beginning with a deep 3-pointer and capped with four straight free throws. Tell, a sophomore, was a call-up from JV last season, and his nine points on Monday led the Marauders in scoring. Tim Brown, also a sophomore, had eight points for the Marauders.

Westfield’s Ryan Jafarjian (24) shoots a contested layup over Dunkirk’s Christian Delrio during Monday’s non-league boys basketball game at Dunkirk High School. OBSERVER Photo by Ron Szot.

What Dunkirk might be remembered most for at the conclusion of the game was the final defensive possession. While Westfield is known for its five senior starters, the team’s sixth senior, Zachary Roache, checked in for the first time late in the fourth quarter. After a pair of 3-point attempts, including the first which rolled around the rim and out, the Westfield bench standing in support of him were left disappointed — but only for a moment. Roache drove into the lane on the final possession and Dunkirk’s Brown — without direction from his coaches — stepped back to allow Roache to get the shot off. The layup went in for the game’s final two points.

“Tim Brown is one of the kindest young men I’ve ever coached,” said Gullo. “That’s what we’re building here. … We’re dealing with success on a different level.”

The moment was certainly one to remember for Roache, capping off a highlight night for the Westfield seniors.

“When he gets in at the end, they try to get him the basketball,” said North of Roache. “Hats off to Dunkirk for their sportsmanship, too.”

Westfield’s leading scorers were Baribeau (20), Mike Johnson (10), Nate Culbreth (9), Darien Swanson (9 off the bench), Ryan Jafarjian (8), and Dylan Scriven (5).

Westfield now has a week off to prepare for the home opener, against Chautauqua Lake, at Westfield Academy on Dec. 3. Dunkirk is back in action on Friday at Global Concepts.

Twitter: @bradencarmen