Dobson's girls basketball team had Highland on the ropes after one quarter Thursday night and came close to delivering a knockout blow in the second period. That  KO punch had to wait until the final seconds.

Sophomore Tori Lloyd sank a tough 15-foot jumper with two seconds left to give Dobson a 52-50 win over the visiting Hawks in a Division I matchup of playoff-caliber squads.

Lloyd, who finished with 10 points, scored seven of those in the fourth quarter. She got her opportunity after Highland's Kathleen Cabrera was called for an offensive foul ona drive to the basket with 57 seconds left. Dobson, which led virtually the entire game until Highland took brief leads in the final three and a half minutes, took its final possession and ran the clock down to about 10 seconds before trying to score. Lloyd knew time was running out and  pulled up just to the right of the free-throw line to sink the game-winner with traffic all around.

Dobson coach Tyler Dumas credited forward Jenna Malaki, who has worked her way into the starting lineup this season, with key defensive plays. Malaki, the lone senior in Dobson's starting lineup, drew two charges in the second half -- the last one on Cabrera.

Dobson, which won its 20th game of the season against seven losses, broke out to a 13-3 lead after the first period. It was mainly due to a zone press that forced Highland into 10 turnovers. Highland attempted just three shots in the first period and its only points were on free throws. The Hawks didn't make their first basket until the 6:50 mark of the second quarter.

"We came out strong and (Highland coach) Miner (Webster) made adjustments," Dumas said. "That forced us to make adjustments. At the end it came down to kids making plays."

Webster was anything but thrilled with his team's first quarter, but Highland gradually got back in the game before halftime after falling behind even further -- 20-7 -- five minutes before intermission.

"The first half we had 16 turnovers and 11 shots," Webster said. "The only points we had the first quarter were free throws. We should have been down 30 with those numbers. We were able to get back and make it a game. At the end we had two chances to get rebounds that would have allowed us to keep the lead, but we didn't get either one."

Highland dropped to 24-4 and suffered its second lost this week. The Hawks spent most of January playing a string of games against opponents not destined for the playoffs. That changed with a loss to Red Mountain Tuesday and the Dobson defeat. Highland beat both teams earlier this season in tight contests.

Dobson's Miyah Leith led her team in scoring with 14 points, seven in each half, Senior Jordan Hagen helped spur Highland's comeback with a big fourth quarter. Hagen tied teammate Olivia Lucero for team-high honors with 14 points. Eleven of Hagen's points came in the final period when Highland turned a six-point deficit heading to the fourth into a three-point lead (49-46) on Hagen's second 3 of the quarter with 2:08 left.

Dobson and Highland both have 14-3 records in power-point games with their final regular season games on Friday. Dobson hosts Tucson High and Highland entertains Basha.