Dunham looked for one more stop against University High, clinging to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
The Cubs inbounded the ball with 6.1 seconds left to senior Nikolas Popov near midcourt. He drove to the cup but was forced to take a fadeaway layup after facing a strong contest from Dunham senior Jarvis Washington.
The shot grazed the rim and fell into the hands of Tigers junior Elijah Haven, who dribbled out the remaining two seconds on the clock.
Dunham (17-2) defeated the Cubs 68-67 on Friday night at University High. Haven led the Tigers in scoring with 26 points. Senior guard AJ Olivier finished with 21.
"We relied on our principles, and we communicated," Dunham coach Chad Myers said. "We did everything like we've been taught to do."
The Tigers trailed early, falling behind 24-10 in the second quarter.
"We put ourselves in a deep hole," Myers said. "We didn't match their energy early on. Elijah Haven decided to be Elijah Haven tonight."
Myers credited Haven for his work on the defensive end in the second quarter, which helped the Tigers claw back.
"I got to do whatever the team needs," Haven said. "That's been my whole mindset coming in here this year. It was just a gritty win."
After U-High went on a 7-0 run in the second to take a 14-point lead, Haven got a stop and dished an assist to Charlie Myers, who buried a 3-pointer.
Olivier also knocked down three 3-pointers in the second, including a four-point play just before halftime to cut the deficit to two points, down 34-32.
Washington scored the first six points for Dunham to open the third, all assisted by Haven. The string of plays helped the Tigers take a 38-36 lead.
Later in the third, the Cubs' Harris Sides drained a fadeaway jumper to tie the game at 44 points apiece. Olivier responded with a three-point play after he drove to the cup and drew contact on a layup.
Olivier's big play sparked a 12-2 run late in the third. U-High scored then made two baskets late to make it 56-51 after three quarters.
The Cubs' Manuel Hilton opened the fourth with a three-point play after scoring a layup through contact to make it a two-point game.
Haven continued to drive toward the rim and scored six straight Tigers points to put his side up 62-56. His third bucket came off a steal at midcourt, and he threw down a reverse dunk.
University High (16-8) refused to go away and knocked down two late triples to tie the game at 64-64. Olivier buried a long jumper to put his side back up by two.
After a defensive stop, Dunham's Khris Thomas connected with a floater to make it a four-point game.
U-High's Harris Sides buried a 3-pointer late to make it a one-point game. The Cubs forced a late stop to give themselves one more chance to win it, but the last-second shot fell short.
"It wasn't perfect," Myers said, "but I'm just proud of these guys."
