After earning a bye to the quarterfinals of the Section VIClass A1 playoffs, No. 3 Dunkirk hosted No. 6 Lewiston-Porter on Wednesday night for a trip to Buffalo State.

Dunkirk’s fairy-tale season ended with a crushing upset.

Led by 40 points from Greydan Barnwell, including 19 points in the fourth quarter, the visiting Lancers upset the Marauders, 74-58, in a quarterfinal playoff game at Dunkirk High School.

It was not hard to see what the difference was. Dunkirk’s defense just could not get a stop when it needed to. In three of the four quarters, the Lancers scored at least 19 points, including a 29-point fourth quarter. Dunkirk head coach Sixto Rosario did not hesitate in pinpointing the difference.

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Dunkirk’s K’vion Tell drives into the lane during the first half.

“Defense. It was the defense,” Rosario said. “We messed up on a few of our defensive coverages, and we paid for it.”

Dunkirk (17-4) fell behind early, as Lewiston-Porter (15-7) put up 20 points in the opening period. The Marauders fell behind less than two minutes into the game and never reclaimed the lead. Lewiston-Porter led 20-10 after the opening frame.

The Lancers built upon their lead in the second quarter with six straight points to start the period. Dunkirk had its first substantial run near the halfway point of the second quarter with eight straight points, starting with a K’vion Tell 3-pointer from the corner to pull back within single digits, down 28-20.

But just as quickly as Dunkirk pulled back within eight points, the Lancers responded with a 9-0 run of their own. Dunkirk finished the first half with five of the final seven points, but the Marauders still trailed 39-25 at the break.

In the third quarter, the Marauders came out with the fight they needed to show in the first half. Dunkirk scored six straight points to start the third quarter over the first three minutes to pull back within eight points. Then, a pair of 3-pointers — first by Aries Cheverez, then by Tell — pulled Dunkirk to within four points, 43-39, with two minutes left in the third quarter.

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Dunkirk’s Aries Cheverez dribbles through a screen during the first half of a Section VI Class A1 boys basketball quarterfinal against the Lewiston-Porter Lancers on Wednesday at Dunkirk High School.

“It was passion. They went out and played their hearts out,” Rosario said.

Malik McCall brought Dunkirk within a bucket after a layup in the final minute, but the Lancers answered with a layup in the final seconds to take a four-point lead into the final quarter. Dunkirk held the Lancers to just six points in the third period.

“The game was close. We knew we could hang with them. We can hang with anybody,” Rosario said. “We weren’t worried about that. We were just trying to get some defensive stops.”

As good as Dunkirk’s defense looked in the third quarter, in the final period, it reverted back to how it looked in the first half. Devan Barnwell began the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer. Then, after Dunkirk pulled back within five points, Barnwell hit a 3-pointer to go back up by eight.

McCall made a layup through contact and finished a three-point play with 5:58 left to pull Dunkirk back within five points, but after a timeout, Barnwell responded with a three-point play of his own on the next possession. Cheverez brought Dunkirk within six points, but Barnwell hit a 3-pointer to go back up by nine. From there, Dunkirk never got closer than seven points. The Lancers broke away from the free-throw line over the final two minutes to close out the victory.

Dunkirk was led by Tell with 19 points, while McCall had 18 points in his final game. Cheverez had 14 points, all in the second half. The rest of the team combined for seven points.

The Lancers were led by Barnwell’s 40-point night, with 21 points through three quarters before a 19-point fourth quarter that featured three 3-pointers and five trips to the free-throw line, including a layup plus the foul.

“Hats off. The guy was shooting contested shots. You could’ve put a giant on him,” Rosario said. “We ran him off the 3-point line and our help defense wasn’t there. That was the difference.”

Michael Wylke added 16 points for the Lancers, while Devan Barnwell hit three 3-pointers.

Up next, Lewiston-Porter heads to Buffalo State for the Section VI Class A1 semifinals on Friday night. They will face the 2-seed, South Park.

Dunkirk’s season came to a bitter end without a playoff victory to culminate one of the best regular seasons the program has had in decades. Dunkirk finished the regular season at 17-3 and as co-champions of CCAA Division 1, an honor it shared with rival Fredonia, which Dunkirk defeated twice this season.

“I want to highlight the season we had. Although there were many that may have not believed, there were so many that have believed — the coaches, the players, and the families,” Rosario said. “We started seeing it from Game 1.”

This season was Dunkirk’s first league title since 2011. Before that, it had not been done since the 1980s. On the way to claiming the title, Tell became the program’s all-time leading scorer. He has another year left to go, as does his backcourt mate, Cheverez.

“There is a lot to be proud of. I’m proud of the players, I’m proud of our school, and I’m very proud of our coaches to help be a part of this,” Rosario said.

LEWISTON-PORTER (74)

Anderson 1 1 3, GBarnwell 14 8 40, DBarnwell 3 0 9, Courts 0 0 0, Wylke 8 0 16, Raimondi 3 0 6. Totals 29 9 74.

DUNKIRK (58)

Tell 7 2 19, Cheverez 6 1 14, McCall 7 3 18, Rodriguez 0 0 0, Kenner 1 0 2, McQuiggan 1 1 3, Krystofiak 1 0 2, Bache 0 0 0. Totals 23 7 58.

3-point goals–GBarnwell 4, DBarnwell 3, Tell 3, Cheverez, McCall.

Lewiston-Porter 20 19 6 29 — 74

Dunkirk 10 15 16 17 — 58