MANLIUS – Mendota rallied from a first-half deficit and then had to stave off a Bureau Valley fourth-quarter comeback to post a 64-56 victory over the Storm in the opening round of the Hall Class 2A Boys’ Regional Basketball Tournament on Feb. 19 at Manlius.

After trailing 11-6 at the end of the first quarter, the Trojans came back from a 15-10 deficit in the second as Rafael Romero sparked the comeback with 10 second-period points to propel Mendota into a 22-19 halftime lead.

The Trojans nearly matched their first-half point total in the third quarter alone as they poured in 20 points. But Bureau Valley nearly kept pace with an 18-point output and Mendota carried a narrow 42-37 lead to the final eight-minute session.

Mendota scored the first five points of the fourth frame to grab the first double-digit margin of the night, 47-37, but Bureau Valley had one last comeback in it. The Storm closed the gap all the way down to one point before the Trojans got back on track and pulled away for the eight-point win.

Romero kept up his solid play in the second half with eight points and ended the contest with a team-leading 20 tallies. Ted Landgraf was next with 14 points, while Krew Bond chipped in with 10 points. Isaac Guzman and Izaiah Naez added to the Trojans’ balanced scoring attack with eight markers apiece. Carter Salisbury led Bureau Valley with 30 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter as the Storm attempted to pull out the come-from-behind victory.

The Trojans improved their record to 8-21 and advanced to the semifinal-round of the Hall Regional to take on Princeton (19-9) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23 at Spring Valley. The Tigers have beaten Mendota twice this season. A Trojan win will send them to the regional championship game against either Kewanee or Chillicothe IVC at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25 at Spring Valley.