Effingham tried to hold the ball for a final shot, but turned it over. Powers made them pay by scoring the go-ahead basket a few seconds later.

But the Hearts still had a chance. Mattoon’s Sam Bradbury missed two foul shots with five seconds still left, but a last-second three-pointer by Andrew Donaldson was off-target and EHS dropped its third game to the Green Wave this season.

Mattoon held a slim 19-17 lead at halftime, but the Hearts came out in the second half and went on a 16-5 scoring run that built a 33-24 lead after three quarter.

“Our guys have come a long way this season,” Farmer said. “I hate losing, but you can’t fault the effort of our guys. They always put themselves in a position to win.”

Armando Estrada led the Hearts with 13 points, while Wolfe and Ethan Ritz both scored eight.

The Hearts dipped to 9-16 on the season overall and 1-8 in the Apollo Conference. They will be back in action tonight (Tuesday) with another conference contest at Charleston.