Sparked by an 18-4 run to begin the period, Dunkirk opened up a big lead at halftime and held off a late Southwestern rally to post a 71-60 victory.

The win, which completed a season sweep of the Trojans, improved the Marauders’ record to 15-1 overall and 7-1 in the division, and moved them closer to their first division title in 30 years. And given the style they play – trapping defense and quick offensive possessions – it’s tough for opponents to simulate that kind of pressure in practice.

That was apparent last night.

All told, Dunkirk forced the Trojans into 25 first-half turnovers, and then used their balanced scoring to build a lead that ballooned from 21-15 after the first quarter to 44-25 at intermission. Highlighting the run were 7 points from Jessica Beehler, 5 from Kymie Nance and 4 from Nadara O’Dell.

Dunkirk’s Jessica Beehler (13) passes while Southwestern’s Kyra Ricker defends. Photo by Matt Spielman.

“The whole plan is to make you play fast,” Ricker said. ” … Tonight was a good run.”

The Trojans were unable to recover, although they did make it interesting in the second half when they closed to within six points with 3:25 remaining in the game following a 3-pointer by Sofia Genareo. But for as hot as Southwestern was from the field in the third quarter — it was 10 of 18 from the floor — it couldn’t find the range in the final period, connecting on just 4 of 21 attempts in the final eight minutes.

As has been the case all season, the Marauders received contributions from all directions. O’Dell and Nance finished with 19 points apiece, Olivia Smith had 16 and Beehler chipped in 15. Beehler also had eight rebounds, six assists, nine steals and 12 deflections; Amari Carter grabbed 13 rebounds; and Nance had six rebounds and five assists.

“We’re in a great place,” Ricker said. “It’s been a long, long, hard journey. … It’s a special team. I know it’s the hardest (assistant coach Bill Canfield) and I have worked, (along with) our staff of four, just to give them a chance to be the best they can be.”

Giana Hoose led Southwestern with 15 points, Kyra Ricker had 10 and Genareo added 9.

“(Southwestern) is as good it gets in terms of effort,” Coach Ricker said. “We turned it over a ton more than we would have liked to, but we also gutted out some plays. … We’re talking about getting better, and if they all really believe it, I think we can be pretty good.”