Girls basketball

What happened: The Lady Hilltoppers overcame a rough first half and used a 21-point third quarter to turn a 17-11 halftime deficit into a 32-28 lead heading into the fourth of a nondistrict game in Griffith Gymnasium. Still, they had to rally when Rio Rancho took a 42-40 lead with less than 10 seconds left, and it was Carley Holland who drained a 23-footer from the left wing with 2 seconds left that gave Los Alamos the win. “We’ve been talking about playing 32 minutes every game, and we needed every second of this one,” said Lady Hilltoppers head coach Ray Romero.

Top players: GG Romero and Tara McDonald each had 10 points to lead Los Alamos, while Holland and Sofia Trujillo each added nine. Rio Rancho was led by Julia Espinoza’s 13 points, and McKenna Lee added nine. What’s next: The Lady Hilltoppers (12-6) return to District 2-4A play Thursday at Pojoaque Valley.