The third quarter has proven to be a challenge all season long for the Effingham Flaming Hearts.

That was the case again Monday night.

The Hearts trailed Lincoln by a single point at halftime, but were then outscored 13-3 in the third period and ended up dropping a 42-31 decision at home to Lincoln.

The Railsplitters held a 10-6 lead after the opening eight minutes and then had a slim 15-14 edge at intermission. Elijah Pollice then scored eight of his game-high 19 points in the third quarter, helping Lincoln to expand the gap to double-digits, 28-17.

Garrett Wolfe knocked down a pair of three-pointers and scored eight points in the fourth quarter, but EHS wasn’t able to cut into the lead. Both teams scored 14 points in the final period.

Wolfe finished with 16 points for the Hearts and Logan Heil added nine.

The Hearts dipped to 9-14 on the season overall and 1-6 in the Apollo Conference. They will play two more games at home this week – Thursday against Mattoon and Saturday against Mahomet-Seymour.