MLK girls hoops: Dobson pulls away in 2nd half to beat Mtn. View

January 19, 2015 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Mesa Mountain View guard Armani Hawkins did her darndest to take charge of  the second upset in as many games Monday afternoon at the annual MLK Basketball Classic at Wells Fargo Arena.

Mountain View was within three points of No. 3 Dobson at hafltime (27-24). scoring 18 of her team's points at intermission. But foul trouble sent Hawkins to the bench twice in the third period and Dobson took advantage of her absence to pull away for a 57-43 victory in the second of two Division I girls games of a five-game MLK slate.

Dobson is the hottest team in D-I and likely will move to No. 2 in the rankings after Monday's victory -- its 15th in a row. Dobson is 21-1 overall and 11-1 in power-ranking games. Mountain View, No. 13 in the power rankings, dropped to 13-8, 6-5 prg.

Dobson outscored Mountain View 14-2 in the third period, limiting Hawkins to an 0-for-4 effort from the field in the three minutes she played in the quarter. Hawkins picked up her third foul with 5:43, leaving with Dobson in front, 27-25. An 8-0 Dobson run convinced Mountain View coach Henry Bribiescas to bring back Hawkins at the 3:15 mark. Thirty-two seconds later Hawkins netted her fourth foul and sat to the end of the period. By that time the Lady Toros were on the short end of a 41-26 score.

Hawkins, a senior headed to ASU this fall, finished with 31 points on 10-of 23 shooting from the field. Mountain View cut the lead to 41-33 early in the final period, but got plenty of inside and easy buckets down the stretch to pull away again. Dobson's lead reached 20 with about a minute left.

"We switched things up a little bit and didn't put (point guard) Dyesha (Stahley) on Armani," Dobson coach Tyler Dumas said. "There was a better matchup for Dye, but whoever you put on Hawkings she's no easy guard."

Dobson scored often inside led by senior post Monay Mariscal (14 points, nine rebounds), but also had a perimeter game paced by leading scorer Alexis Todd. Todd led Dobson with 19 points, making 7-of-11 shots from the field including 3-of-3 from three-point range. Shamara Troupe came off the bench to tally 11 points and Sara Nichols backed up Mariscal with six points in the paint. Stahley hit an early 3, but was content running the offense and handed out five assists.

Dobson's only loss came in its first power-ranking game on a buzzer-beater to Hamilton. Dobson net plays on the road Thursday at Horizon. Mountain View returns to action Friday at Xavier Prep.

MOUNTAIN POINTE 44, HAMILTON 42: Tilasha Okey scored five of her 18 points in the final mintue, including the go-ahead 3 with 58 seconds left to lead the Lady Pride to an upset of the Lady Huskies Hamilton in a Division I girls basketball game at the MLK Classic at ASU.

Mountain Pointe also got nine points and 12 rebounds from Morgan Greene to improve to 11-10 overall, 6-6 power-ranking games and take a critical power-point win in pursuit of a post season bid. Mountain Pointe began the day No. 25 in the power rankings. Hamilton got 13 points from Makayla Filiere and nine points from Payton Whitmore. Hamilton entered the game No. 2 in the D-I power rankiings.

Hamilton (14-7,11-2 prg)  turns around for a road game Tuesday (Jan. 20) at Highland while Mountain Pointe prepares for a Wednesday meeting at home against No. 1 Desert Vista.