The Mendota sophomore boys’ basketball team split a pair of games last week, winning a tight Three Rivers Conference contest over Hall and dropping a nonconference decision to Sycamore.

Against Hall, the Trojans held on for a 40-39 thriller over the Red Devils on Dec. 12 at the MHS gym. Mendota had just beaten Hall by 34 points in five days prior in the Colmone Classic.

Hall jumped out to a 14-8 lead after the opening stanza, but Mendota fought back to outscore the visitors, 10-2, in the second period to seize an 18-16 halftime lead. The Trojans stretched the margin to seven (32-25) heading to the fourth where they had to hold on for the victory.

Alex Beetz pumped in 14 points to pace Mendota in scoring. Brody Hartt and Ramiro Palacios collected seven points apiece, while Johan Cortez tallied six.

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Sycamore and Mendota hooked up in another close game before the Spartans pulled away in the fourth quarter to post a 40-31 win on Dec. 13 at Sycamore.

Mendota owned a 15-11 halftime margin, but Sycamore rallied to grab a 23-22 advantage with one quarter to play. In the final frame, the Spartans erupted for 17 points compared to nine for the Trojans.

Dane Doyle topped the Trojan scoring chart with 11 points, while Alex Beetz chipped in with seven markers.