CAMP VERDE — Jordan Fullmer scored 28 points despite playing much of the game in foul trouble, Julian Perez, Alex Ruiz and Gage Russell each had 11, and the Camp Verde boys basketball team held on to win an 80-77 overtime thriller Tuesday night.

It is the sixth straight victory for the Cowboys (19-11, 6-2 2A Central), which have now won 10 of their last 11 games and advance to the second round of the 2A state playoffs this weekend against No. 1-ranked Phoenix Country Day.

Trailing 32-28 at halftime, Camp Verde began the third quarter with a 10-0 run, outscoring the Eagles 23-9 to take a 51-41 lead heading into the final period. Camp Verde coach Dan Wall said he felt the players were a little nervous to start the game.

“I think once they settled down at halftime, they came out, and it did help us to get out and pressure a little bit. It made it tougher,” Wall said about going to a half-court trap to begin the third quarter, a different look than the two-three zone they played for much of the first half.

Enter Tyson Dobbins, who for the final 8-plus minutes of the game wasn’t about to let Desert Christian lose, scoring 27 of his 45 in the fourth quarter, including knocking down five of his six 3-pointers during that stretch to keep the Eagles in it.

“I mean my gosh, I’ve seen a lot of good players, but in clutch situations, he hit three after three. He was hitting them on double teams, hitting them from the red line, banking threes in down the stretch,” Wall said. “Anything he could do to keep his team in the game, that’s what playmakers do, and that kid, he’s a special player.”

The 6-foot-2 junior was 7 for 8 from the free-throw line and nearly led Desert Christian (27-4, 7-1 2A South) to a big road victory.

With 3:24 left in regulation, Camp Verde built a 60-48 lead with Fullmer on the bench with four fouls, but Dobbins kept shooting.

“He was just on fire. That’s what he does. We’ve been on his back all year,” Eagles coach Joshua Moore said, adding that his team defensively struggled for a bit getting back on defense late in the game.

“There were three or four possessions when we fell asleep back there, gave up some easy layups, and I think that’s what put them up 12. They scored six to eight points off those transitions,” Moore said about his team’s full court pressure, even on a missed basket. “But that’s who we are, that’s our identity. We play up-tempo basketball. … That’s just how we play.”

Trailing 70-68 with 3 seconds to play, Desert Christian was once again in full-court press mode, but an inbound pass from the Cowboys unfortunately hit the ceiling, giving the rock right back to the Eagles with a chance to win.

On the ensuing possession, Fernando Ayala got a 3-pointer off and missed, but “Johnny on the Spot” Colt Schumacher quickly tipped it in with what appeared to be a tenth of a second left before watching the ball rattle around the rim and drop in.

Despite his herculean effort, Dobbins fouled out with 3:14 to play in overtime with his team up 73-72 and Camp Verde pulled it out in the end.

“He got hosed with a call back there, giving him his fifth, but all in all he’s a great player, and even a better young man,” Moore said. “It just didn’t go our way tonight. I felt we could have done some things better as coaches to put them in a better situation to win, but we were right there.”

Camp Verde struggled from the charity stripe for much of the contest, hitting just 20 of 42 attempts, including Fullmer, who sunk only 3 of 12 during the fourth quarter and overtime.

Despite their performance from the line, Fullmer gave credit to his teammates.

“They kept their head in the game and kept fighting while I was out,” Fullmer said. “It’s very exciting [to get the win], we worked for it.”

UP NEXT

Camp Verde travels to Phoenix Country Day for the second round of the 2A state playoffs Saturday, Feb. 22. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.