KEY WEST -- Deadlocked in a tie with Key West High on Saturday night with just 8.8 seconds remaining, Spanish River girls basketball coach Jim Dawson called a timeout to get his players on the same page and see what the Conchs had in store defensively.

After getting a look at the Key West formation, Dawson sent his players back to midcourt looking to avoid overtime.

"We went to our traditional sideline out-of-bounds play because I thought we could get open," Dawson said.

Mission accomplished.

The Sharks inbounded the ball to guard Sara Dawson, who made a quick catch and drove half the court to the basket for a wide-open layin with just 2.8 seconds remaining. Key West got the ball back, but Chelsie Storr's drive and layup attempt at the buzzer bounced off the rim and secured a 51-49 win for Spanish River in the finale of the Cooper's Paint and Body Holiday Classic.

"I didn't think we'd get that open, but it worked," Jim Dawson said. "It doesn't always work, so I was excited when that happened."

The loss was the second in as many days for Key West (5-4), which went 0-2 in the two-day event after coming in riding a five-game win streak. The Conchs played without guard Shaniya Watson, who dressed but chose not to enter the game, according to Key West coach Glenn Hayes. Watson left Friday's 78-49 loss to Dwyer after having trouble breathing.

"With her not playing, the girls knew they had to step up," Hayes said. "It's a team effort and we can't depend on one person to win. We had our opportunities, but we kept throwing the ball away. Just too many turnovers at crucial times."

Hayes said the Sharks' final scoring play was a good example of his team's miscommunication and lack of poise.

"I told the girls to box them in so they couldn't run," Hayes said. "But they didn't. One of the girls told me they set a pick, but you have to fight through that or switch. It's something we work on in practice. Simple stuff."

The loss was especially frustrating for the Conchs, who got off to a hot start. Key West finished the first quarter with a 9-0 run to go into the second ahead, 15-6. Storr nailed a quick 3-pointer to open the second and then later found Ja'Taure' Mathis under the basket for an easy layin that extended the Conchs' lead to 14 at 27-13.

"We were in kind of a funk," said Jim Dawson, whose team went into Saturday's game riding a three-game losing streak. "I told the girls, 'I'm not yelling anymore. You're going to have to want this more than I want it.' I think after that, they looked at each other and decided to do it."

The Sharks (7-4) went on a 12-1 run to conclude the second quarter -- Sara Dawson hit a pair of 3s during the stretch -- and Key West's lead was just 30-26 at the half.

Spanish River didn't take its first lead of the game until Aly Haberman's 5-foot jumper with three minutes remaining in the third put the Sharks ahead, 36-35. The teams went back and forth from there, setting up the dramatic ending.

Storr led Key West with 19 points. Alexsa Rahming scored 16, and freshman Jamica Mack finished with six points and 10 rebounds.

Lindsey Smith paced Spanish River with 19 points, while Sara Dawson added 14 and Julie Robbins chipped in 10.

"We hope this is something we can build on," said Jim Dawson, whose team will return to Boca Raton today and prepare to host its own holiday tournament this week. "Hopefully we can continue this little bit of success we found down here."

The mood on the Key West side wasn't as celebratory.

"It was rough," Hayes said of the two-day Classic. "We feel like we should've won it, but we didn't. We got two losses, and we're going to have to move on."

The Conchs will have a short rest before getting their first chance to get over the weekend losses. The team will take today off and then return to Bobby Menendez Gymnasium on Monday night for a 7 p.m. tip against visiting Barron Collier.

"It's going to be up to them," Hayes said of his players. "All we can do is coach them and teach them, but they're not playing together. On the road we seem to play excellent as a team, but at home is where we seem to have problems."

DWYER 74, BISHOP VEROT 62

Dwyer wrapped up a 2-0 record in the Cooper's Classic with a hard-fought win over Bishop Verot in Saturday's opening game.

Alicia Hines scored 30 points to lead five Panthers in double figures scoring. Meghan Gavin scored 22, Jaquira Eggleton chipped in 16, Precious Bridges added 15 and Kai James finished with 13.

Kaitlyn Payne led Bishop Verot with 30 points, and Chelsea Cypher scored 10.

Dwyer topped Key West in Friday's opening round, while Bishop Verot topped Spanish River, 39-30.

wjacobson@keysnews.com