Teams live by the three and die by the three.

The Effingham Hearts experienced both highs and lows Friday night.

After connecting on seven shots from behind the arc in the first half, the Hearts went 0-for-15 in the second half and dropped a game they were expected to win.

The Mt. Zion Braves were behind by nine points after the first period, but then outplayed Effingham the rest of the way to post a 50-44 Apollo Conference victory at home.

“It’s uncharacteristic for us to shoot that poorly,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “If we hit even one of those shots in the second half, it’s quite possibly a different game. But we didn’t shoot well and we simply got outplayed.”

Drew Thompson and Parker Wolfe both hit a pair of threes and Nate Thompson added another, helping the Hearts build a 17-8 lead after eight minutes. But Mt. Zion responded with a 22-8 scoring surge in the second period to take a 30-25 lead into the locker room at intermission.

The Braves extended their lead to 42-35 after three quarters and managed to hang on for the win. Mt. Zion gave the Hearts ample opportunities. The Braves didn’t make a field goal in the final eight minutes and only converted 8 of their 16 foul shots.

But the Hearts scored just nine points in the quarter and finished with a disappointing loss.

Wolfe scored 22 points and Drew Thompson added 16 for EHS.

The Hearts dipped to 14-8 on the season and 4-3 in the Apollo. They will return to action Saturday, Feb. 8, with a game at Mahomet-Seymour.