In his personal life and in his coaching philosophy, Dunkirk head coach Sixto Rosario is a man of faith. But on the court, his team didn’t give him much reason to believe over the past few years, especially when facing rival Fredonia.

Over the past eight years, the Marauders have had nothing to celebrate against Fredonia. Hillbillies head coach Nick Bertrando defeated Dunkirk every single time the two teams met.

But Rosario still believed this year would be different. His team believed that Monday night would be different.

And they were right.

OBSERVER Photo by Ashleigh Brown Fredonia’s Colin Luce goes to the basket for a layup during Monday’s CCAA Division 1 boys basketball game against Dunkirk at Dunkirk High School.

Dunkirk handed Fredonia its first loss of the season, and the first rivalry loss in eight years at Dunkirk High School, by a score of 65-60.

“It’s amazing. Finally, we got it,” said Dunkirk guard K’vion Tell. “Honestly, it was long overdue. We have been losing forever to them, but we came out with the same energy that we have been for the whole season. We came out and we knew we could win.”

Rosario said this team was different from all the others before them because they bought in.

“They believed,” he said.

Rosario was choked up after the win. He held back tears as he spoke about the weight of the moment, with dozens of supporters from his Dunkirk community surrounding him.

“I want to thank all the fans and everybody for believing,” Rosario said. “I love Dunkirk. I love the program. I love the kids. This is a great feeling.”

Both teams struggled to find a rhythm early, as neither team scored in the first two minutes. Dunkirk (8-1, 3-1) had an early 4-3 lead, but Fredonia (8-1, 2-1) pulled ahead on an and-one layup by point guard R.J. Koopman just prior to the halfway point of the period.

Fredonia led 11-8 with under two minutes to play in the period, but Dunkirk stormed back with seven straight points in the final 68 seconds for a 15-11 lead after the opening period, including a go-ahead 3-pointer by Tell with 45 seconds left in the quarter. Tell turned to the packed stands as the shot fell.

That response continued throughout the night. Dunkirk maintained a lead the entire final three quarters, though Fredonia did not make it easy on the hosts.

The Hillbillies pulled to within two points just over a minute into the second quarter on a Donovan Dowdy layup, but Dunkirk responded with an 8-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Aries Cheverez to trigger a timeout. With 5:26 left in the first half, Dunkirk led by double digits, 23-13. The lead was extended to a dozen twice, and the Marauders led by eight points at the break, 35-27.

A big reason why Fredonia trailed at the break was its struggles from the free throw line. Fredonia missed eight free throws in the first half, going 7-for-15 from the line. In Fredonia’s previous game, another tight contest with Harbor Creek, the Hillbillies went 18-for-22 from the line.

Five Dunkirk players scored at least five points in the first half, led by 10 points from Malik McCall. Tell had 7 points in the first quarter, but went scoreless in the second quarter, while spending a portion of the period on the bench due to foul trouble.

Fredonia got a 3-pointer from Ryan Kelly on its first possession of the second half to cut Dunkirk’s lead to five, but the Marauders got 3-pointers from Cheverez and Tell to extend the lead back to 11 points, 41-30.

Kelly came up big for Fredonia again, as he hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to four points, 43-39, just past the halfway point of the third quarter. Dunkirk led by six points, 49-43, with one quarter left to play.

Fredonia’s struggles in the first half were compounded by an inability to get to the free throw line in the second half. Fredonia had just one free throw in the second half, but it sure was a timely one.

With just 2:28 left to play, Donovan Dowdy made a free throw through contact and drew the foul. He converted the three-point play to pull to within two points, 59-57. Dunkirk then called timeout to regroup.

As the game progressed to the final minute, the Dunkirk advantage remained the same, 59-57. But just as Rosario had faith all along that things would change, his assistant coach, former Dunkirk girls basketball point guard Jessica Beehler, had the same faith.

All game long, Beehler was telling Naisaih Rodriguez to step in front of a driving Fredonia player to take a charge. She believed all along that eventually, Dunkirk would get the call.

In the biggest moment in the rivalry in eight years, Beehler’s faith paid off. Rodriguez followed his coach’s guidance and stepped in front of Dowdy in the lane as he attempted a shot that would have tied the game had it fallen. Instead, Rodriguez fell to the ground as Dowdy was called for a charge. It was Dowdy’s fifth foul of the game, disqualifying Fredonia’s leading scorer on the night.

“Finally, he got one,” Rosario said of Rodriguez. “He listened to the coaches. I’m just so proud of him.”

Dunkirk scored the next six points to finish off the win before a last-second 3-pointer from Koopman finally fell. By that point, the game was over, and the Fredonia rivalry winning streak had come to an end.

“It’s been the hardest thing ever to beat that team,” Rosario said. “They are well-coached. Give credit to Bertrando and what he’s done. … Just to win, there are no words.”

Tell led Dunkirk with 18 points, while Cheverez added 15 points. They each had four 3-pointers, as Dunkirk made 10 shots from beyond the arc against a typically disciplined Fredonia defense.

While Fredonia failed to close out defensively up to its standard, its offense also struggled at things it usually does well — free throws and layups.

Throughout the season prior to Monday, especially in the previous game, Koopman seemed to convert every time he drove the lane. That was not the case on Monday, as Fredonia’s point guard went just 3-for-11 from inside the arc.

“First and foremost, it was Dunkirk’s defense. … It’s a complete credit to Dunkirk,” Bertrando said. “We didn’t have our best night. We picked the wrong night to not play well.”

Dowdy led all scorerswith 20 points, and he also led Fredonia with 11 rebounds. Kelly had 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Koopman and Colin Luce each had 10 points, while Graham Putney had seven points.

Monday night was a night to remember for both teams, regardless of the result. The stands were packed to capacity, both student sections shouted at the top of their lungs throughout the night, and cheerleaders from both teams showed their support. Bertrando compared Dunkirk-Fredonia rivalry games to a high school version of the greatest collegiate rivalries, like Michigan-Ohio State and Duke-North Carolina.

“I say it every single time, whatever end either team comes out on, it’s just a remarkable opportunity for these kids,” Bertrando said. “… It’s a classic, and tonight, as always, lived up to another Dunkirk-Fredonia game.”

Up next, Dunkirk travels to Falconer on Thursday for another CCAA Division 1 boys basketball game, while Fredonia is at Division 1 foe Salamanca on Thursday.

FREDONIA (60)

Luce 5 0 10, Kelly 3 2 11, Dowdy 9 2 20, Putney 3 1 7, Koopman 4 1 10, Cuthbert 0 2 2. Totals 24 8 60.

DUNKIRK (65)

Tell 6 2 18, McQuiggan 1 0 2, Rodriguez 2 2 7, McCall 4 2 10, Kenner 2 0 4, Krystofiak 4 0 9, Cheverez 4 3 15. Totals 23 9 65.

3-point goals–Kelly 3, Koopman, Tell 4, Rodriguez, Krystofiak, Cheverez 4.

Fredonia 11 16 16 17 — 60

Dunkirk 15 20 14 16 — 65