Trailing by three points with five seconds to go in its MIAA Division 4 preliminary round game against No. 33 Assabet Valley Tuesday night, the No. 32 Frontier boys basketball team had one last chance to prolong its season.

The Redhawks passed the ball in to junior Max Millette, who likely knew a double team was coming from the Aztecs given he had 29 points on the night. They weren’t going to let Millette be the one to take the shot. He dribbled into the frontcourt, where he was met by a trio of Assabet defenders, and dished a one-handed bounce pass to Garret Dredge in the right corner. Dredge quickly caught it, turned to the basket and let one fly as the buzzer sounded.

It sailed a bit too far and fell to the court, and Frontier suffered a heartbreaking 58-55 tournament loss at Goodnow Gymnasium in South Deerfield.

Frontier held a 19-11 advantage at one point in the second quarter and took a 27-20 lead into the locker room. But the Aztecs chipped away in the third and a last-second 3 from Alijah Monroe put them ahead 41-40 to set the stage for a dramatic fourth quarter.

With under two minutes to go in the fourth, the Redhawks found themselves in a 52-42 hole as their offense went cold for the first six minutes of the frame. That is, until Dredge teed up and knocked down a long ball in front of Frontier’s bench. On the next possession, Millette forced a steal. Alexander Ellis picked up the loose ball and fired it ahead to Millette, who finished through contact to earn the and-one. He buried his free throw to make it 52-48 with a minute and a half left.

Later on, Ellis cashed in a 3-pointer to bring the Redhawks within one (56-55). Assabet Valley made two free throws to boost the its lead back to three, which led to Frontier’s final possession. The Dredge 3 was off the mark and the home team’s comeback bid fell short.

Dredge tallied 11 points, Ellis recorded seven points while Ty Skroski added four points for Frontier.

Frontier finished its season 12-9, while Assabet Valley travels to No. 1 Albert D. Holland School of Technology on Friday night.

No. 25 Millis 81, No. 40 Smith Voc 44 – Host Millis stormed out of the gates and took a 26-10 lead after one quarter en route to a decisive preliminary round victory Tuesday.

Smith Voc finished its season 13-8 overall.

The Vikings, which trailed 47-23 at halftime, were led offensively by Dom Sanchez’s 17 points. Jack Riley and Jahir Sanchez tossed in six points apiece, and Spencer Warner added five.

Millis will play at No. 8 Lynn Tech in the Round of 32 on Friday.

Girls basketball

Div. 3 prelim

No. 33 Belchertown 60, No. 32 Dover-Sherborn 59 — The Orioles went on the road and snuck out with a one-point win on the back of senior Chloe LaRoche’s big night.

LaRoche scored her 1,000th career point in Belchertown’s victory, which marked the first one in the state tournament since the MIAA switched to the new format.

Up next for the Os is a date with the No. 1 seed in Division 3, Saint Mary’s, on Friday at 5 p.m.

Div. 5 prelim

No. 32 Cape Cod Tech 64, No. 33 Smith Academy 46 — A trip to Cape Cod didn’t go as planned for the Falcons, as they dropped a preliminary round contest on Tuesday night.

Smith Academy ends its season 12-8 while Cape Cod Tech hits the road to take on No. 1 Hopedale on Thursday.

Girls hockey

Div. 1 Round of 32

No. 9 Reading 2, No. 24 Pope Francis 0 — The Cardinals were shut out in the Round of 32 on Tuesday night, as Reading scored a pair of goals to move on to face No. 8 Belmont.

Pope Francis, which rosters several players from Hampshire County, finished the season 9-11-3.