A short-handed Dayton High boys basketball team fell into a first-place tie in the Northern 3A with a 43-31 loss at Sparks on Wednesday.
Sparks (15-6) and Dayton (16-6) are now both 10-2 in league. It was the second straight loss for Dayton as the short-handed Dust Devils were coming off a defeat against Spring Creek. Dayton continues to play without two starters - Jordan Stokes and Travis Wood - who are in the middle of serving a two-week suspension.
Jacob Jones scored on a layup to give the Dust Devils a 23-22 lead in the third quarter, but Sparks responded with a 7-0 run to take control of the game. Jones scored nine points and Shane Castro added six points for Dayton.