Gilbert boys basktball coach Jay Caserio got a Christmas present he wasn't able to unwrap until after the holidays. Caserio won't be returning it (him).

Andre Mauro, who transferred to Gilbert High at the holiday break, made four of the eight free throws the Tigers sank in the final 33 seconds Friday night to help post a 66-62 win over host Dobson in a Division I contest. Gilbert has won six games in a row and is 16-5 overall and 11-2 in power-ranking games. Dobson slipped to 14-8, 8-5 prg.

Caserio received a phone call during final exam week in late December from his athletic secretary who had Mauro's mother on the phone. She was interested in enrolling her son at Gilbert and Caserio made sure he took the call. Mauro appeared in only  his fourth game on Friday.

"He's come in and picked up on the stuff we do very well," Caserio said. "It's amazing. The team has bought into him big time."

Mauro, a junior who serves as a backup point guard, scored just  the four points. The first two free throws with 33 seconds left supplied the Tigers with a four-point lead they stuck to through the finish. Dobson answered two free throws three times to trail by two each time, but Mauro clinched it with two more with 8.3 seconds left. Conner Helvig and Spencer Nicolds were two-for-two apiece from the line in between Mauro's four tosses.

Earlier in the final quarter, Dobson appeared to have taken command with an impetus supplied by leading scorer Jaron Hopkins. Hopkins, who missed Tuesday's 91-80 los to Desert Ridge with flu-like symptoms, wasn't feeling too chipper Friday. Hopkins originally decided he couldn't play, but with persistent urging from coaches, teammates and fans he dressed and entered the game at the five-minute mark of the first period.

Hopkins (11 points) played a  solid game considering he wasn't 100 percent.  He made a couple steals leading to a pair of baskets -- one a thunderous dunk -- that put Dobson ahead, 56-52, with  3:30 to play. A string of bad possessions by Dobson, however, over the next two minutes allowed Gilbert to tie and take the lead for good on a putback by post Truman Moore (team-high 17 points) with 1:03 left.

"We did a lot of good things, and Jaron playing gave us a lift," Dobson coach Rick McConnell said. "Kodi (Justice) has been getting over pneumonia so we've had to battle through some sickness, We needed some better possessions late in the game."

Dobson got an excellent game out of guard Ryan Richardson, who finished with a game-high 20 points. Twelve came in the third period on 5-of--5 shooting from the field. The Mustangs manage to lead at halftime by way of three-point shooting. They made five treys in the first half and finished with seven. Carson Glick, who started in place of Hopkins made three 3s in five attempts. His final one came in the fourth period helping Dobson to its 56-52 lead. Helvig finished in double figures for Gilbert with 12, but had a tough night shooting from the field (3-for-13).