If that was the case, on Tuesday night, the ball might as well have been dripping wet. The Wolverines drilled seven 3-pointers in a 27-point first quarter and never trailed on the way to sinking the Dunkirk Marauders, 70-46, in a non-league boys basketball game at Westfield Academy on Tuesday night.

“After the last game, we upped the intensity in practice. We got a lot more shooting in and I guess it paid off,” said Westfield senior Nate Culbreth.

Westfield (17-2) outscored Dunkirk 27-11 in the first quarter, including 14-3 in the first three minutes of play. Three Wolverines — Mike Johnson, Nate Culbreth and Dylan Scriven — had two 3-pointers each in the quarter.

“Anytime we get a lead in the first quarter, it’s hard to come back against us,” said Culbreth.

Dunkirk’s Earl Stewart (3) tries to drive to the basket as Westfield’s Mike Johnson (12) defends during Tuesday’s non-league game in Westfield. The Westfield Wolverines won the game 70-46. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

Dunkirk (4-16) started to mount a comeback in the second quarter with an 11-2 run over the first five minutes of the period. Coach North believes the biggest reason why was the ball movement of his team in the first quarter did not carry over to the second quarter, in which Dunkirk outscored Westfield 15-8.

“Early on, we moved the ball well and got good looks at threes,” said Coach North. “What I didn’t like in the second quarter was it was one pass and a shot. … When we move the ball, we shoot it pretty well.”

In the final three minutes, Culbreth hit a pair of deep 3-pointers to extend the lead back out to double digits. The Wolverines led by nine points, 35-26, at the break.

“The second quarter was a little sloppy,” said North, alluding to the fact that his team did not look inside enough for his liking before shooting from behind the arc.

Dunkirk cut the deficit to five points, 35-30, early in the third quarter. From then, Westfield outscored the visitors 18-7 the rest of the period. The Wolverines led 53-37 after the third quarter, then outscored the Marauders 17-9 in the fourth quarter to close out the victory.

Westfield's Nathan Culbreth (left) defends against Dunkirk's Donnie Lockett during Tuesday's game in Westfield. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

In all, Westfield drilled 15 3-pointers in the win. The Wolverines shot 52 % from beyond the arc.

Culbreth led the Wolverines with 18 points, all on 3-pointers. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists.

“I practice them a lot,” said Culbreth of his outside shooting, especially from far beyond the arc. “Coach North gives me [a hard time] for shooting them that far out, but I practice them so I can do it when we play.”

Johnson, Scriven and Ryan Jafarjian all hit double figures in scoring, as well. Johnson and Scriven each had 13 points, while Jafarjian had 12 of his own.

“We were moving the ball around. If we have an open three, we’ll shoot it. I know my team can make open threes,” said Culbreth.

“We got multiple guys shooting the ball well. Then, late in the third and early in the fourth, Ryan [Jafarjian] got to the basket against the zone, which made a difference,” said North. “I thought he did a good job of that late in the game.”

Darien Swanson had seven assists, while Andrew Baribeau had six points and four rebounds.

Earl Stewart had 18 points to lead the Marauders, while Christian Ortiz added 10 points.

Dunkirk coach Luke Gullo declined to comment after the game.

Westfield closes out the regular season with a non-league contest with Chautauqua Lake in Ripley on Friday. The Wolverines finish with a perfect record on their home floor during the regular season, with a home playoff game expected as the current No. 4 seed in Class C2.

“Anytime we play at home it gives us confidence. … We haven’t been beaten at home yet,” said Culbreth. “If we can play like that, I like our chances against anybody.”

Twitter: @bradencarmen