AMBOY – A lightning-fast start and then a furious second-half rally weren’t enough for Amboy as it fell to Mendota, 63-48, in a nonconference varsity boys’ basketball game on Jan. 20 at the AHS gym.

The Clippers came out firing early in the first quarter as a pair of three-pointers and a conventional basket by Quinn Leffelman lifted them to a 10-2 lead. But Mendota finally found its footing and outscored Amboy, 11-1, over the remainder of the period to take a 13-11 lead.

The Trojans were able to stretch the margin to double digits at 29-16 before Amboy closed out the half on a 5-0 run to slice the count to 29-21 heading to the locker room.

Amboy’s Eddie Jones scored the first basket of the third quarter to make it a 7-0 Amboy scoring streak before a three-pointer by Mendota’s Aden Tillman halted the run. A two-pointer by Tillman gave the Trojans a 36-28 advantage at the 6:04 mark of the third and then the Clippers did all of the scoring over the next two minutes and 19 seconds to take their first lead since the opening stanza.

Brody Christoffersen started a 9-0 Clipper run with a three-pointer, followed by a bucket by Troy Anderson and then a steal and slam dunk by Jones. An Ezra Parker hoop completed the scoring binge to give Amboy a 37-36 lead with 3:45 left in the quarter. The lead went back and forth over the next two minutes with Amboy’s final advantage being 41-40. Mendota tallied the final six points of the period to make it 46-41.

Mendota’s Dane Doyle connected on a three-pointer to open the fourth frame to finish off a 9-0 Trojan run. A Jones free throw broke Amboy’s scoring drought, but Mendota went on to outscore the Clippers, 14-6, the rest of the way. Cale Strouss got a steal and a layup to start a 7-0 Mendota run before two free throws by Christoffersen finished up Amboy’s scoring with five second left.

Leffelman finished with a game-high 20 points. He drilled three shots from three-point range. Jones chipped in with 13 markers for the Clippers.